


Golden Persona

by Forest_Girl



Category: Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Again that won't be until later, Ghosts, I'm not that cruel, Kind of a magical girl AU, Multi, but not really, but not yet, eventual romantic relationships, he Aigis/Minato is more implied than explicitly stated, in fact every relationship in this will be eventual, just FYI, not for a loooooong time coming, not pmmm magical girl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-24
Updated: 2016-02-27
Packaged: 2018-04-06 01:03:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 81,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4201986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Forest_Girl/pseuds/Forest_Girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Welcome to Inaba, where a serial murderer is looming. Yu Narukami is not in the least bit pleased when he becomes indirectly involved in a murder case through supernatural abilities. Another world inside of a TV, a third year student close to a friend dead, and a new outfit whenever he shouts out "Persona!" will be what he needs to solve this case. </p>
<p>Cross-posted on fanfiction.net under the same name.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to Inaba

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! As I put above, this story is going to be posted along with the fanfiction.net parallel, and I'm working on writing out the second arc of the story now. I'm not going to put the dumb 'key' thing as I did on ff.net, but still, the one up on that site is much farther ahead in the story line, so if you're impatient, go and check that out!

“Welcome, to the Velvet Room.”

A bizarre-looking man looks up from his hunched position on the far side of a limousine. His hands are folded onto one another, and the toothy grin he wears never falters. “Ah… It seems we have a guest with an intriguing destiny… My name is Igor; I am delighted to make your acquaintance.

“This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter.” Igor gestures to the blue-themed interior of the expensive car. Wine and other various drinks, coupled with fancily carved glasses, are in a cabinet to his right, and the room is decorated with elegant metal designs surrounding a turquoise colored light. “It is a room that only those who are bound by a “contract” may enter. It may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future.

“Now then…” Igor states, bloodshot eyes locking onto the teenager in front of him. “Why don’t you introduce yourself?”

The boy jumped from his slouched position, wide eyed and startled, before slowly saying: “Narukami… Narukami Yu.”

Igor hummed. “I see. Now, let’s take a look into your future, shall we?” Whipping his hand over the table placed in front of him, a deck of cards appeared in front Igor. “Do you believe in fortune telling?” Not waiting for Yu’s answer, Igor moved his hand in the opposite direction, the deck’s contents spread into a square consisting of nine cards, each one face down. “Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different. Life itself follows the same principles, doesn’t it?”

Igor flipped one of the cards in the row farthest from him. The picture shown is a tower being struck by lightning, its top level disconnecting from the rest of the building. Humans, as poorly as they were drawn, were jumping from the destroyed building in an attempt to save their lives. The Roman numeral **XVI** was at the very bottom, held in the trimming surrounding the picture.

“Hm… The Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent.” Igor states. Despite the unpleasant news he just delivered, his demeanor did not change in the slightest.

“The card indicating the future beyond that is…” Flipping another card from the top row, this one showed a crescent moon with a sorrowful face shown in the center of the curve. A lobster was depicted above it, between two ‘I’s’ with a red dot near the top. The Roman numeral **XVIII** was held in the trimming, like with The Tower card. “The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents “hesitation: and “mystery”... Very interesting indeed.”

Locking eyes with the teen again, Igor continued through his grin. “It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you. In the coming days, you will enter into a contract of some sort, after which you will return here. The coming year is a turning point in your destiny; if the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost.

“My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that does not happen. I seem to have neglected to introduce my assistant to you.” Igor gestured to the silver haired woman to his left, golden eyes locking with the teen’s as her hands rested on the book in her lap. “This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself.”

“My name is Margaret.” The older woman said; and Yu couldn’t help but feel like the woman was almost like a robot, her voice was confident, almost rehearsed, and her back was as stiff as a board. “I am here to accompany you through your journey.”

“We shall attend to the details another time.” Igor said, lowering his head and closing his eyes. “Until then, farewell.”

* * *

**Monday, 4-11-11. Weather: Cloudy With Rain Later In the Night**

Yu Narukami lifted his head when the monorail exited the tunnel through the hill. Light filtered in from the window to his right, and the teen let out a grunt as a few beams fell into his eyes. The train soon came to a halt at Yasoinaba, and the silver-haired teen made his way toward the entrance of the slightly run-down train station with a duffel bag resting casually over his shoulder. Taking a look around, all the prepubescent could see were a few bikes chained to his left, a soda machine or two, and maybe a bird finding a half-eaten bagel left behind on the asphalt.

“Hey! Over here!” a man shouted, and Yu turned his gaze to his right. Going down the stairs, he walked up to an older man -probably in his thirties, Yu guessed- accompanied by a much younger girl, probably couldn’t be older than seven, at the most.

“Well, you’re more handsome in person than in your photo.” The man continued, adjusting the hold of his coat that he hung over his shoulder. “Welcome to Inaba. I’m Ryotaro Dojima. I’ll be looking after you. Let’s see… I’m your mother’s younger brother… and that about sums it up.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Yu replied, holding out his hand. Dojima chuckled, scratching the back of his head before grabbing Yu’s hand firmly and shaking it.

“You probably don’t remember, but we’ve met. I’ve changed your diapers before, you know.” Looking down, Dojima pushed forward the younger girl, who kept her gaze down as she fiddled with the ending of her dress. “This here’s my daughter. Come on Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin.”

A few precious moments pass before Nanako says in a small voice “‘lo.” before rushing behind Dojima and grasping his pant leg firmly. Dojima chuckles as his daughter hides her bright red face in his dress shirt. “What’re you so shy for?” Dojima’s brashness earned him a smack on the back from Nanako, who turned to face away from her father and her cousin. Even though the older man laughed off the hit afterwards, the sharp sound from the hit still caused Yu to wince in sympathy. “Well then… Let’s get going, my car’s over there.”

As Yu turned to follow Dojima and Nanako, a girl with dark black hair passed by. Yu initially took no mind of it, used to people walking by him every day in the city, until she called out a “Hey.” The boy turned, wary at first until he saw the girl holding out a slip of paper. “You dropped this.”

“Oh, thank you.” Yu replied, walking up and grabbing the paper.

“Whatever. All I did was pick it up.”

The paper was a note Yu had written to himself, stating Dojima’s address. While the information written on the paper wasn’t that important and was easily replaceable, Yu couldn’t help but feel a bit of gratitude for the girl. When Yu went to thank the girl again, he noticed her fidget and look away uncomfortably before walking away from him. Dojima’s shout drew him out of his thoughts, and with a sheepish grin, Yu walked toward Dojima, ready to ‘move in’ to Dojima’s home.

_Besides,_ Yu thought, _the town’s small, it’s not like I won’t see her again._

* * *

On the way to Dojima’s house, the group had to stop in Inaba’s Central shopping district. It was the combined reasoning that Dojima needed to fill the gas tank and that Nanako needed to use the bathroom, but Yu was grateful for the fact that he could see a bit of the town before heading off to school tomorrow.

“Hi! Welcome to Moel!” The attendant said cheerfully as they ran up to Dojima’s car.

“Can you go to the bathroom by yourself?” Dojima asked softly, receiving a nod from Nanako. Both left the car, and as Dojima stated which kind of gas he wanted, Nanako tried to locate the bathroom.

“It’s in the back, to your left. You know which way’s left? The side you don’t hold your chopsticks in.” The attendant said with a soft smile on their face.

“I know… Geez.” Nanako said, almost seeming to curl up into herself before rushing to the back of the gas station.

Yu then left the car, stretching out his arms and legs as he listened to the conversation happening to his left.

“Are you taking a trip?”

“No, we just went to pick him up. He just moved here from the big city.”

“The city, huh…?

“Fill up my car while you’re at it. Regular’s fine.”

“Right away, Sir!”

“Good time as any for a smoke.” Dojima muttered, walking away from the gas station and taking a small lighter out from his pocket.

“Are you in high school?” The attendant asked Yu, earning a confused look from the teen. “Does it surprise a city boy to see how little there is out here? There’s so little to do, I’m sure you’ll get bored fast. You’ll either be hanging out with your friends or doing part-time jobs.” The attendant walked towards Yu, holding out their hand. “Speaking of which, we’re actually looking for part-time help right now. Give it some thought, why don’t you? We don’t mind if you’re a student.” Yu smiled sincerely, and while he doubted he would talk the job, he still took the handshake, just to try and appear polite.”

Yu looked over the attendant’s shoulder, seeing Nanako running back from the bathroom. “Oh, I should get back to work.” The attendant mumbled, walking over to the pumps. Yu couldn’t help but notice Nanako looking at him, but when he was about to ask what was wrong, a sharp pain shot through his head, making his vision white out momentarily. Nanako tugging on his pant leg brought him back to reality, and he notice that he was leaning heavily on the car door. In the reflective surface of the window, his skin looked three shades paler than five minutes ago.

“Are you okay?” Nanako asked. When Yu went to respond, a sudden wave of nausea hit him, and he soon became focused on keeping his lunch at bay. “Did you get carsick? You don’t look too good.”

“Urgh…” Yu ground out, managing to push away from the car door and stand on his own. Of course that only lasted a few seconds before he felt himself sway, feeling like he was trying to stand on a constantly moving floor. “Maybe…”

“What’s wrong? You okay?” Dojima asked, having walked up while Yu was trying to stay on his feet.

“I’m…” Yu began, but soon stopped himself and swallowed, taking a deep breath. “It’s nothing, Dojima-san. I’m fine.”

“That’s understandable.” Dojima placed his free hand on Yu’s shoulder. “It must have been a long trip for you. Why not take a little walk, get some fresh air? Just let me know when you’re ready to go.”

Yu shook his head. “I’d rather go to your house. If I’m sick, then I’d rather just take a nap to fight it off.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, but thank you for the offer, Dojima-san.”

* * *

“All right, let’s have a toast.” The snap of a beer can being opened drew the attention of the two kids to Dojima as he lifted his drink up over the table. He was the only one with alcoholic drink, Yu enjoying a bottle of water and Nanako taking little sips of orange juice. The other house members lifted their drinks up before taking a large gulp and placing them on the table. “So… your mom and dad are busy as always. They’re working overseas, was it? I know it’s only for a year, but getting stuck in a place like this because of your parents… It’s rough being a kid.”

_If only you knew the other binds I’ve been in because of my parents not being home,_ Yu thought darkly. _Then you’d really hate your sister._

“Well, it’s just me and Nanako here, so it’ll be nice having someone like you around. So long as you're here, you’re part of the family, so make yourself at home.”

“I… Thank you for your kindness, Dojima-san.” Yu said, a faint blush crossing his cheeks.

“C’mon, there’s no need to be so formal.” Dojima chuckled, tilting his head toward Nanako. “Look, you're making Nanako all tense.” Nanako’s eyes widened, and she soon tried to hide her face as she blushed, looking at the take-out sushi. “Well, anyway… Let’s eat.”

Just as Dojima was about to pick up his chopsticks, his phone went off in his pocket, the high pitched beeping making Nanako jump in surprise. “Ugh, who’s calling at this hour?” Dojima left the table, opening his flip phone and accepting the call. Despite Yu’s attention being on the call, he didn’t miss Nanako’s little ‘hic!’ as she jumped up slightly.

_Hiccups…_ Yu thought, a small smile showing through his normally stoic face. _Didn’t think she could get them that easily._

“Dojima speaking.” The older man remained silent as the person on the other line hurriedly chattered away. “Yeah? I see… so where is it? ...All right, I’m on my way. Looks like I made the right choice to skip the booze.” Dojima muttered; despite his young appearance, Yu could see bags under his eyes when he turned back to the table, swearing under his breath.

“Sorry, but I gotta go take care of some business. Go ahead and eat without me. I don’t know how late I’ll be. Nanako, you help him out, okay?” The small girl nods, standing up and taking her father’s dish of sushi and beer can to the refrigerator in the kitchen. Yu heard the door open, then followed by the sound of rain hitting the ground.

“Nanako, it’s raining out. What did you do with the laundry?”

“I already brought it in!”

“All right. Well, I’m off.” Dojima shouts, and the door thuds closed. Yu can just barely hear the car pull out of the garage before Nanako comes back and switches on the TV. The channel was set to the local news network, just as the weather was being announced.

_“-for this week. Next, let’s take a look at the hourly breakdown of tomorrow’s weather. With storm clouds moving in from the west, expect rain throughout the day tomorrow in most areas.”_

Nanako turned her attention away from the TV; starring at the sushi in front of her, Nanako picked up her chopsticks and picked up a piece of tuna sushi. “Let’s eat.”

Finding himself alone with Nanako, Yu could only stand the awkward silence that had descended over the both of them for so long before he tried to strike up a conversation. “So… What does your dad do?”

“He…” Nanako hesitates, trying to find the words to describe her father. “Investigates stuff. Like crime scenes. My dad’s a detective.” Yu nearly choked on the sushi that he had in his mouth. _A detective?! There’s no way I’ll be able to hide stuff easily with him around, he’ll probably snuff out any lies I give him!_

The news soon caught both of their attention, a male reporter picking up steam as he began to report the local news. _“City council secretary Taro Namatame is under fire for an alleged relationship with a female reporter. His wife, enka ballad sensation Misuzu Hiiragi, revealed to this station that she will likely pursue damages. In response, Eye Television has decided to cancel all of announcer Mayumi Yamano’s televised appearances. Until allegations of an affair with Mr. Namatame are resolved, she’ll remain off the air and out of the public eye.”_

“This is boring.” Nanako said, and Yu couldn’t help but agree with her. This ‘scandal’ was so overplayed, having appeared on nearly every news channel, especially since it was so out-reaching with it had to do with an idol. _Almost wish they’d shut up about it._

Nanako took the TV remote and changed the channel, right into a commercial. _“At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products! Every day’s great at your Junes!”_

“Every day’s great at your Junes!” Nanako sung, dancing along with the song.Yu was understandably surprised, if a commercial for the large shopping center was showing, that ment there had to be one in town. He wasn’t expecting one in such a backwater town like Inaba, but they were all over in Tokyo. At least there was something slightly modern here.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Nanako commented, snapping Yu out of his thoughts. As his stomach rumbled discontentedly, Yu picked up his chopsticks and began to eat the sour tasting sushi.

_I really have to cook some food…_

* * *

“Where… Am I?” Yu muttered, shaking his head and standing up, despite the sluggish feeling in his limbs. Fog surrounded him, blocking out anything a foot in front of him. Looking down to make sure his body was okay, he was more shocked to see that the ground below him were similar to TVs, but the screens only showed a blood red color.

_Well, I can only move forward._ Yu thought, stretching before he broke off into a jog. While some parts of the ‘path’ appeared neat and orderly, another part of the road would look like a bull trampled over it; screens were cracked, some blared out a sharp static sound.

“Do you seek the truth?” Rang out a distorted voice, the simple shock of hearing something besides wind nearly caused Yu to trip and fall on one of the various weapons that were stuck in the broken TVs. Yu looked around, but only thick, white fog graced his vision. It felt wrong to break the silence now, simply because since Yu knew he wasn’t alone, and calling out would only allow the other person to find him.

Yu began to run.

“If it’s truth you desire, come and find me…”

_It’s from ahead!_ Yu picked up the pace and had the intent of never stopping. That was, of course, until he came upon a large wall. Yu was certain the voice came from beyond here, but he didn’t want to go in empty handed. On his right in one of the many broken TVs he had seen was a katana; the handle had various scratches on it, and the blade looked horrible, but it was a weapon nonetheless. How he would get it out was beyond him, but it was certainly better than confronting the person with just his bare hands.

Yu grabbed the katana’s hilt, the wall then disappeared, and Yu could only see white fog.

“So… You are the one pursuing me…” The distorted voice chuckled, the figure -only a black blurry shape- bent over at the waist and began laughing. “Try all you like!” Yu stared wide eyed at the figure, feeling rather than seeing that the katana he saw earlier was resting in his right hand. Bending his legs, Yu turned to his left and turned the katana until it was resting in both of his hands, the tip of the blade behind him.

And then the figure rushed him.

Despite thinking that the figure coming closer would make it more visible, if anything the details got blurrier. The sheer speed of it made Yu (inexpertly) swing the katana upwards with both of his hands, almost as if he was trying to do a horrible backhand with a tennis racket. The figure ducked, and in a few seconds he was being held above the ground, a hand wrapped tight around his throat. Yu coughed, finding it harder and harder to breath as time went on, crazed laughter coming from the person choking him. Yu’s sword clattered to the ground, and black spots began to cloud his vision.

**I am thou, thou art I…**

_Someone, please… help me…_

**Thou art the one who opens the door…**

“Per…son...a…” Blue energy swirled around Yu, and the figure let out a sharp yelp as raw electricity burned it’s hand and dropped the teenager. Yu felt… different. It wasn’t a bad kind of feeling but it was still odd, even in a dream-like landscape. Glancing down at himself, Yu gasped as he noticed that his entire attire had changed. His casual white shirt and brown jeans - the ones he had fallen asleep in - had changed to a long black trench coat accented with yellow and white lines with dark gray pants. Thigh high boots replaced his socks and dress shoes, with a sharpened sheet of metal going up the back of his calf. In his right hand, now covered with black fingerless gloves, was a large naginata . Raising his left hand to his face, Yu could feel a metallic mask that now covered his face.

Yu closed his eyes, trying to calm down. In his mind, he pictured a large humanoid figure wearing the same thing as he was, only with glowing yellow eyes. _Are you here to help me?_ Yu thought, opening his eyes and getting up, raising the Naginata at his assailant. The figure chuckled again, having straightened and faced Yu once again.

“It seems that you can see a little, despite the fog…” The shadowed man chuckled, and pearly white teeth briefly made an appearance as it smiled. _Can you help me?_ Yu thought, and his body went into autopilot.

“Zio!” Yu threw out his arms, the black trench coat fluttering back, as a bolt of lightning crashed down and hit the figure. Despite the fact that a bolt of lightning would have incapacitated anyone, the figure seemed unaffected by the strike.

“I see… Indeed… that is very interesting information…”

Yu growled, and sparks flew from his hand down the Naginata, making the blade shine. “Stop treating me like I’m a lab rat! Cleave!” Yu flew forward, defying any laws of physics as he was jolted forward nearly fifteen feet as he slashed at the figure. Again, despite the attack making a connection, the figure was unimpressed. Yu could not see any blood or visible mark on the pitch black body.

“But… You will not catch me so easily. If what you seek is “truth,” then your search will be even harder.” The figure glowed red for a second, only for a thick wave of fog to hide them moments later. Yu coughed, and when he looked up again, the fog was so thick that he could barely see his hand in front of his face. The tip of the blade was barely visible, despite it only being a foot away from him.

“Zio!” The lightning connected with the ground randomly, and Yu growled in annoyance. He was hoping that the figure would act like a lightning rod, and the electric-based attack would hit them regardless.

“Everyone sees what they want to…” The figure sighed, though with the odd distortion to his voice, it almost sounded like a drawn out groan. “And the fog only deepens…” This time, Yu tried to run in and slash at where he thought the voice was coming from. This only resulted in the fog being pulled around his blade. “Will we meet again…? At a place other than here…”

Yu’s head thrummed; a dizzy spell, much stronger than the one he got at the gas station, hit him and nearly caused him to stumble off his feet. His legs buckled, the Naginata clinking as it fell to the floor. The last thing Yu saw was the odd outfit bursting into small blue fragments, the clothing he was wearing before replacing it.

The figure hummed. “...I look forward to it…”

* * *

When Yu woke up, both him and his sheets were covered in a layer of cold sweat. Moving to the bathroom, Yu began a hot shower, a lingering sense of frustration hanging over his head. The feeling was similar to the nightmares he had when he was a child, when his mother was still around enough to comfort him, but he couldn’t remember the fine details. Shaking his head, Yu discarded the thoughts about the ‘nightmare,’ as thinking about it would only make him feel more upset and angry that he couldn’t remember it. Taking a deep breath, Yu pulled back the shower curtain, wrapped one of the hanging towels around his waist and went to the wall mirror to fix his hair.

He nearly screamed bloody murder when he saw a glowing pair of eyes staring back.


	2. Bloody Tuesday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I meant to update this a while ago and I completely forgot. Sorry!
> 
> To make up for that, I'm gonna post two chapters this week, one today and one on Wednesday. Hope you enjoy!

**Tuesday, 4-12-11. Weather: Rain Throughout the Morning and Cloudy Later In the Day**

Going downstairs to greet Nanako with a calm expression was difficult for Yu; just moments ago his eyes were a vibrant burning blue only to turn back into a dull gray after he had finished freaking out. His mind was whirling, trying to figure out how -at the very least on a chemical level- how the color could have changed at all when Nanako had called him down for breakfast.

Not only had his eyes scared him, but the figure from his dream (Izanagi, the name came unbidden to his mind when he saw the hunched figure) was floating casually beside him. The Naginata that they were holding was not present, but it's incredibly hard to hide a 7 foot tall person from a little six year old girl.

_Okay, so, what do I do when Nanako sees Izanagi?_  Yu pondered, pulling on the jacket of his school's uniform as he headed down to the first floor _. I mean, they could probably duck out the door before she would notice, but they don't seem to want to leave my side. Maybe if I make breakfast I can tell them to leave? I can probably put the sushi from last night in the microwave and heat it up, and hopefully there are eggs in the refrigerator. If not I can make some toast and hopefully that will stave over Nanako until lunch. Maybe I could-_

"Good morning." Nanako said, holding plate with eggs and a few pieces of sausages on them. In surprise, Yu sat down at the kitchen table; Nanako joined him shortly after making sure that the toast that had just popped up out of the toaster wasn't burnt. "Okay, let's eat."

What Yu was really surprised by was the fact that she had not reacted to the gigantic figure next to Yu, hunched over due to the size of the kitchen. "Did you do the cooking?" Yu asked, taking a knife and cutting one egg in half, trying to keep any conversational topic off of the fact that he could be clinically insane.

"I can toast bread and cook sunny-side up eggs in the morning. Dad can't cook, so I buy dinner."  _I should probably cook something for her. Eating takeout food every night isn't exactly healthy._  Yu thought, chewing away at the toast.  _Gotta admit, Nanako makes some pretty good breakfast._

"You're starting school today, right?" Earning a nod from Yu, Nanako continued. "My school's on the way, so let's go together."

Yu smiled and nodded again, swallowing the food in his mouth. Despite the incredibly odd circumstances in happening, Nanako's personality seemed to lighten his mood. "I'd like that, Nanako-chan."

* * *

The walk on the Samegawa flood plain was mostly silent aside for the sound of rain hitting the asphalt and the occasional splash from a puddle. What had shocked Yu as he was walking was that no one they had passed seemed to register Izanagi's presence the entire walk, even when it had dashed in front of the pair.  _So, I'm the only one who can see them, huh? God, what's wrong with me?_  Almost as if sensing his discomfort, Izanagi moved to Yu's right and stayed close.

Nanako eventually stopped when nearing the floodplain, Yu pausing as well. "You keep going straight of here" Nanako turned around with a faint smile. "My school's this way. Bye!" Yu waved at Nanako's retreating figure, left to ponder his current mental state as the masked figure moved behind him.

"So… no comments about my eyes yet." Yu muttered, purposely keeping his voice low in case another student passed him so that it would only appear like he was mumbling to himself. "Maybe it was a trick of the light? Perhaps the dream made me think I had blue eyes...? This is too crazy for me to think about in the morning, hate the fact that I don't really wake up until much later in the day."

As Yu continued in silence, a student riding a bike and holding an umbrella wobbled past. Letting out a shout, he could only watch as the student's bike collapsed and threw off its rider. Having to walk by to get to Yasogami High, Yu watched as the student was bent over at the waist, groaning in pain. Hissing as a phantom pain crossed him, Yu picked up his pace as he walked by, hoping that leaving him be would be better than confronting him.

Yasogami High wasn't gigantic, but it was certainly bigger than the school Yu had gone to in Tokyo. To his knowledge, the school had three floors, and about three classrooms on each floor, along with a large field for gym and a slightly smaller building to arts and science. Yu had no other knowledge of the building, having most of this information come from a site that looked like it was made in 1997 and had never been updated again.

_So… Where's my homeroom?_

* * *

Being escorted in by his homeroom teacher was not exactly the best experience for Yu. Mr. Morooka had greeted him with a "What the hell are you doing here?!" and then pulled him to room 2-2, ranting and raving all the while. Once the two entered the classroom, preceded by Morooka yelling at the class, the other students went silent as the homeroom teacher introduced himself.

"I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward! First things first, just 'cause it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons. Long as I'm around, you students are going to be pure as the driven snow!"

Morooka's attention soon switched to Yu, sending a glare at the teen. Yu glared right back. "Now, I hate wasting my time, but I'd better introduce this transfer student. This sad sack's been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage. And he's just as much of a loser here as he was there, so you girls better not get any ideas about hitting on him! Tell 'em your name, kid, and make it quick."

_Not like I'm interested in them._  The lights above the classroom flickered, and if Yu had a mirror he could have seen that his eyes pulse blue for a fraction of a second.  _Just play nice, Narukami, try to not get this guy pissed off at you, that's the last thing you need._  "My name is Narukami, Yu. Nice to meet you all."

Morooka seethed and practically growled at Yu. "What's that look you're giving to that girl back there by the window!? You thought I wouldn't notice!?" A vein popped on his forehead, complementing the ugly jutted out teeth that the teacher had. "Now listen up! This town is miles away from your big city of perverts and assholes, in more ways than one. You better not even think of getting involved with the girls here, let alone abusing them."

_Clearly he's never been to Tokyo._  Yu thought, trying to tune out the rest of Morooka's rant. "But what do I know... it's not like the old days. Even here kids grow up so damn fast. Every time I turn my back, you're fooling around on those damn phones, checking your life-journals and your my-places."  _Oh god he just won't shut up, will he?_

His 'rant' went on for about three more minutes until a female student in a green jacket raised her hand, interrupting him. "Excuse me! Is it okay if the transfer student sits here?"

"Huh?" Morooka paused, thrown off track before addressing the question. "Yeah, sure. Ya hear that? Your seat's over there, so hurry up and siddown already!" Yu shot a thankful glance to the student before taking his seat, pinching the bridge of his nose as white noise buzzed in the back of his head. The girl leaned over and began to talk to him, whispering all the while.

"He's the worst, huh?"

"You should see half the guys I've met in Tokyo, he isn't that bad in comparison."

"No way, really? Either way, rotten luck for you to get stuck in this class… Well, we just have to hang in there for a year."

After the short haired student stopped talking to him, Yu decided to eavesdrop on one of the many conversations about him.

"Sucks to be the transfer student, ending up in King Moron's class on the first morning here…"

"Yeah, he won't think twice about suspending you if you get on his bad side. Then again, we're all in the same boat."

"Shut your traps!" King Moron -Yu was going to love using that title- shouted, stopping all conversations.  _Looks like everyone takes him seriously… Considering what that one girl said, I don't blame them._  "I'm taking roll, and I damn well expect you to respond in an orderly manner!"

* * *

"That's all for today." Morooka ended the lecture, rolling his shoulders. "Normal lectures will start tomorrow." As the other students got up from their seats to talk to their friends without the threat of expulsion, the intercom system began broadcasting.

" _Attention, all teachers. Please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice._ "

Morooka let out a groan before turning to the class. "You heard the announcement. Don't go anywhere until you hear otherwise." When Morooka left the classroom, two female students to the left of Yu began to talk about Morooka.

"He's seriously getting on my nerves…" Before the conversation could continue, the sound of sirens drew everyone's attention to the windows.

"Did something happen? Don't those sirens sound really close?" Said one student. "Ugh, I can't see a damn thing. Frickin' fog…"

"Yeah, like every time it rains lately, it gets all foggy." Said another.

"Hey, did you hear? I hear that paparazzi's looking all over for that announcer." Said a knowledgeable student.

"Oh yeah, you mean Mayumi Yamano, right?" The previous student had an air of excitement around him as he spoke to his friend. "I heard some guys spotter her at the shopping district."

"Actually, I heard that…" The student's voice became softer, meaning for the information to only be shared between him and his friend.

"Are you serious!?" The rumor-loving student exclaimed, looking around the classroom and walking over to the black haired girl sitting in front of Yu. "H-hey, Yukiko-san. Mind if I ask you something? Is it true that announcer's staying at your family inn?"

"I can't discuss such things." The girl said, looking down at her lap and refusing to make any eye contact with the boy beside her.

"Y-Yeah, I guess not." The boy ran back to his friend when the short haired girl walked to the girl with the black hair.

"Sheesh, how much longer is this gonna take?" She sighed, slumping into her chair right behind the black haired girl.

"There's no telling."

"I shoulda left before the announcement came on… by the way, didja try what I told you the other day?" when seeing her friend's confused expression, the short haired girl tried to jog her memory. "You know, that thing about rainy nights…"

"Oh… No, not yet. Sorry."

"Ahhh, that's okay. It's just, I heard a guy in the class next door yell something like, 'My soulmate is Yamano, the announcer!'"

The intercom system dinged into life again, and the teens went silent. " _Attention, all students. There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers, head directly home. I repeat…_ "

Despite the intercom telling the students to remain calm, everyone in class 2-2 flew into a frenzy, trying to guess what had happened in a quiet town like Inaba to send police officers.

"'Incident'?!"

"What, something actually happened?"

"C'mon, let's go take a look!"

When most of the class emptied out, Yu stood up and picked up his book bag. While he was dead set on heading home and going to take an ibuprofen for his headache (which had only gotten  _worse_  throughout the day), the girl who sat next to him walked up to Yu with a girl in a red sweater.

"Hey, are you going home all by yourself?" Asked the short haired girl, pulling down the sleeves of her green jacket. "Why don't you come with us? Oh, nearly forgot! I'm Chie Satonaka. You know I sit next to you, right?"

Yu nodded. "Of course, and thanks for saving me earlier. I don't know how long I would have been standing there if you hadn't butted in."

"Well, nice to meet you! And don't worry about King Moron, he'll stop picking on you after a week or two." Chie placed her hand on the shoulder of the girl next to her. "This is Yukiko Amagi."

"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm sorry that this is so sudden."

"C'mon, don't apologize like that. It makes me look like I got no upbringing. I just wanted to ask some stuff. Really, that's all."

"What, like whether or not I've met people worse than Morooka?" Yu chuckled, relaxing a bit as the conversation became easier to approach. He didn't know much about Chie or her friend, and imposing on their conversation just seemed… rude.

"Yeah, that's one of the questions I have. But what I really wanted to ask was- huh?" The trio slowed to a stop when a student with headphones walked up to Chie. Yu cocked his head, swearing that he had seen the student somewhere before now.

"Uhm… Miss Satonaka? This was really awesome. Like, the way they moved was just amazing to see… And… I'm really sorry! It was an accident! Please just have mercy until my next paycheck!" The student bowed, giving a DVD case to Chie before he tried to make a break for the door.

Keyword:  _tried_.

"Stop right there! What did you do to my DVD?!" Chie ran up the male student and brought up her leg, hard. The teen let out a yelp of pain and bent over, holding his crotch and jumping up and down. Yu winced, remembering where he had seen the student earlier. Chie opened the case, nearly dropping it when she saw the disc. "What the-?! I can't believe this! It's completely cracked! My  _Trial of the Dragon_!"

"I think mine's cracked too… C-Critical hit to the nads…"

Taking note the boy's pain, Yukiko spoke up. "A-Are you alright?"

"Oh, Yukiko-san… Are you worried about me?"  _Oh, wrong choice of words right there_. Chie brought up her leg again and kicked him in the gut, sending him to the floor.

"He's fine, Yukiko. Let's ditch him and go home." Chie closed the case and slipped it into her backpack, then left the classroom with Yukiko. Yu walked over to the other boy and patted his shoulder before leaving, catching up to Yukiko and Chie at the foot lockers.

* * *

As the trio was leaving the building, an odd looking boy approached Yukiko. His eyes looked distant, and a few drops of water crawled down his face. His uniform was a fancy looking black suit with a green tie, much too different from Yasogami's uniform. Yu soon pushed his headache to the back of his mind and kept a close eye on the stranger.

"You're Yuki, right? Y-You want to go hang out somewhere?" Yu gagged, even from here he could smell the boy's bad breath.

"What…? Wh-Who are you?"  _Well that eliminates Yukiko knowing him from… anywhere_. Yu took a step forward, standing protectively by the taller girl's side. He had seen a few people like this from the city, and considering how those conversations went...

"What's up with him? What school's he from?" Said one of two boys that had approached them.

"Never mind that, he's going for Yukiko-san? Man, you'd think he'd at least wait until she's alone to make his move…" The other boy replied.

"I bet you a can of TaP he gets knocked out."

"No bet! Haven't you heard how difficult the Amagi Challenge is?"

"Um, s-so, are you coming or not?" The strange boy asked, holding his hand out to Yukiko. Chie was practically about to kick the two other boys that were watching, and Yu's hands were clenched into fists.

"I-I'm not going." Yukiko said, backing away from the other student until Chie was in front of her.

"Why not?" The guy replied, moving closer and forcefully grabbed Yukiko's hand. Before he could get another word out, Yu elbowed him in the chest and forced him away from Yukiko. Izanagi moved next to Yu defensively, Naginata pointed at the other boy's throat.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but when a girl says that she doesn't want to go with you, you should respect that." Yu spit out through clenched teeth. As the other boy moved forward, raising his left arm a small inch, one of the lights perched on the ends of the concrete wall exploded. Shards of glass rained down, and both girls let out a scream. The strange looking boy took a few steps back from Yu before running away at full speed, his dress shoes slapping against the wet asphalt.

"What just happened?" Yukiko mumbled, and Chie moved closer to her, trembling slightly.

"Well, that guy asked you out on a date, and then Narukami-kun stopped him, and then… a lightbulb exploded?" Chie summarized, her face scrunching up in confusion.

"Huh? Really?"

"What do you mean, 'Huh? Really?'"

"He… was asking me out on a date?"

"You really had no clue? Sheesh…" Chie wrapped her arms around herself. "But then again, that was way over the top. It was creepy how he called you Yuki all of a sudden."

Around the corner from the bike racks came the student from earlier that Chie had kicked. "Yo, Yukiko-san. Turned down another lovelorn fool, huh? Man, you're cruel. You got me the same way last year."

Yukiko tilted her head, blinking almost owlishly. "I don't recall doing that."

"Whoa, you serious? So then, you wanna hang out some time?"

"...I'd rather not."

"That'll teach me to get my hopes up. Anyways, you two better not pick on the transfer student to much." Yosuke smiled, eventually hopping onto his bike and riding off. Chie ran ahead, raising a fist and shaking it at Yosuke's fast retreating form.

"We're just curious, is all!"

"U-Um," Yukiko stuttered, turning to Yu. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this…"

Yu shook his head. "Don't worry about it, you didn't drag me into anything."

Noticing the amount of students starting to whisper around them, Chie spoke up. "Cmon, let's go. Everyone's staring." The three left the school, ignoring the odd stares and whispers behind them.

* * *

Walking back to Dojima's house with Chie and Yukiko was interesting, especially since most of the questions the two had were not about the city, but more about him. His hobbies, interests, what he did when his parents weren't around, if he had really met someone worse than King Moron, etcetera. Of course, most of these questions were easy to blow off, either with giving the two what they want or casually dodging the question. While he didn't mind their company or the topics they had, he would much rather keep a majority of his personal life out of their concerns for the time being.

"Ah… so you came here because of your parents' job. Haha, I thought it was something way more serious." Chie looked to the right to the right at a rice plain. "There really is nothing here, huh? That's what makes it nice, but there is nothing much we can show to people from outside. Though, there is something from Mount Yasogami… I think our dyed clothes or pottery or something is kinda famous. Oh wait, and there's the Amagi Inn! Yukiko's family runs it. It's the pride of Inaba!"

"Huh?" Yu couldn't help but notice that Yukiko had a small frown. "It's… Just an old inn."

"No way, it's been in all sortsa magazines as a hidden treasure. It's a great inn! It's been going for generations, and Yukiko here is going to take over someday. Their inn actually attracts a lot of visitors to Inaba. It pretty much keeps this town going."

"...I don't think that's entirely true." Yukiko said, fidgeting uncomfortably. Yu couldn't help but notice Yukiko's change in demeanor, and went to change the topic. Chie beat him to the punch, but the topic that she changed it to was one that Yu did not want to brush on.

"So, tell me. You think Yukiko's cute, huh?"

_Oh god_ , why _?_ Seeing the expectant looks of both girls, Yu decided to give them the answer that was probably to be expected. "I think so, yeah."

"I knew it!" Chie exclaimed, a smile on her face.

Yukiko, however, diverted her gaze and looked at the ground. "Come on… Don't start this again…"

Chie continued, despite her friend's discomfort. "She's really popular at school, but she's never had a boyfriend. Kinda weird, huh?" Yu shook his head, fidgeting as Yukiko butted in, her face a bright red.

"C-Come on, stop it. Y-You shouldn't believe that, okay? It's not true that I'm popular or that I've never had a boyfriend." After realizing what she just said, she tried to rectify her mistake. "Wait, n-no! What I meant to say was, I-I don't need a boyfriend. Geez… Chie!"

Chie leaned back, laughing like a hyena. "Sorry, I'm sorry. But this is our big chance to talk to someone from the big city, and you barely said a word!" Looking up, Chie's smile vanished with a look of interest. "Hey, what's that?"

The other students walked forward, coming across a blocked off area. Yu felt the hairs on his arms standing up, and he couldn't help but glance from side to side. Gossipping housewives talked on their side of traffic cones, and a police officer kept everyone away from the blue canvas on the ground. Yu had walked past a multitude of these while in the city. Crime scene.

"So that high schooler left school early, and she came down this street." Said one of the onlookers, an older housewife.

"Wow, who could imagine  _that_  hanging from an antenna?" said another housewife, pushing back a child behind her so that he couldn't see what was going on.

"I wanted to see it too."

"Uh, you got here too late… The police and fire department took it down just a moment ago."

"Well, I think it's terrifying. I can't believe a dead body showed up around here…"

"Wait," Chie said, taking a few steps back from the group surrounding the officer. "What did she just say? A dead body?"

"We… should get out of here." Yu said, just getting this over all feeling that he should get away from here. That was reasonable, after all a crime had happened close to his new school in a town where this clearly was not normal. What was more freakish to him was that the sense to get out of here was so strong it was making him paranoid, enough to make him feel like he was about to get in the middle of a large fight that he had no chance of winning.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

Yu jumped, turning his head and seeing Dojima walking towards him. Considering that he worked as a detective, Yu wasn't surprised to see his guardian at the scene of a crime, but this odd feeling was making him so damn jumpy...

"Did something happen?" Yu asked.

"Well… You could say that. That damn principal, we told him not to let them through here…"

Chie leaned over to Yu, nearly resting her head on his shoulder. "You know this guy?" Yu nodded, turning to his guardian.

"This is Dojima-san, he's my guardian while I stay here in Inaba. Dojima," Yu turned, gesturing to the two other students beside him. "This is Chie Satonaka and Yukiko Amagi, we were walking back to our houses together until we… well."

Dojima shook his head, adjusting the coat that he hung over his shoulder. Yu assumed that was just a nervous gesture of his. Everyone had them. "Uh, well, how should I say this… I hope you get along with him. But you three really ought to stop wandering around and head straight home." As Dojima went back to the crime scene, a younger detective rushed past both groups and went to the opposite corner. Yu grimaced and turned away as the detective then began to vomit rather loudly.

"Adachi! How long are you going to act like a rookie? Do you want to be sent back to the central office?" Dojima scolded, showing no sympathy for the younger male.

Adachi turned around. "I-I'm sorry… Nngh." He turned around again and began coughing, trying to get the taste of bile out of his mouth.

Dojima let out a long sigh. "Go wash your face. We're gonna go around and gather information." Dojima strolled back to the police car, Adachi following soon after.

Chie looked down to the ground, trying to not look at where the puddle of puke was. "Was this what that announcement was about…?"

Yu grimaced. "Let's be glad that we got out of school after they found the body. I don't even want to think about what could've happened if some other student had found it walking to their house."

"What do they mean it was hanging from the antenna?" Yukiko looked up at where the antenna was, shuddering. Noticing the wires had some slack caused her to back away from the building, grabbing at Chie's arm.

Chie looked at her friend, feeling the same discomfort and fear as Yukiko, and grabbed the hand holding her arm tightly. "Hey, Yukiko…? Why don't we go to Junes some other time?"

"Good idea."

"Alright then, we're taking off. Starting tomorrow, neighbor, let's do our best!" Chie said, managing to put on a fake smile before turning back the way they came with Yukiko. Yu, in his haste, called out to the two girls. "Get home safe!"

Chie thought she would never hear those words in a small town like Inaba.

* * *

Despite Yu having ample proof showing that his eyes were no longer blue, he couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable as he and Nanako were enjoying some tea. Nanako, who was sitting across from him, had never really had any tea before, but from her expression Yu couldn't tell if she didn't like the taste of the tea or from the lack of Dojima's presence.

"I wonder if Dad's not coming home again tonight…" Definitely Dojima. The news channel they were watching let out a small chime, changing from the weather to normal news.

" _Our top story this evening concerns a bizarre case in a quiet suburb. Around noon today, a woman was found dead near the Samegawa River in Inaba._ " Yu started, putting down his tea in favor for paying attention to the news. Is this what the incident was?

" _The deceased has been identified as Ms. Mayumi Yamano, a 27-year-old announcer at the local television station. The initial results of the Inaba Police Department's investigation have revealed…_ "

"Ah! The Inaba Police Department, Th-That's where Dad works!" Nanako had straightened, her attention now centered on the news.

"Are you worried about him? I saw him earlier, and he seemed fine." Yu spoke up, trying to comfort the younger girl.

Nanako shook her head. "Uh-uh. It's his job, so things like this happen." Despite that,

" _The body was found hanging from a large television antenna atop a local resident's roof. Authorities are uncertain as to why the body was in such a state. With the cause of death also uncertain, police continue to investigate whether the death is an accident or a homicide._ "

_What? How could an accident get you hung from an antenna? Still though, an uncertain cause of death? If it were an accident it could be hard to figure it out, but if they were murdered it should be easy to find it. Someone in Inaba probably did it, and I doubt that they know how to pull a bullet out of a corpse without getting DNA on it. Maybe they need to find the weapon…?_

" _A thick fog common to the area has slowed their progress, and plans to fully canvass the area are delayed until tomorrow._ "

"They found her on the roof? That's scary." Nanako said, just as the news program ended. "Oh, it's Junes!"

" _At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products! Every day's great at your Junes!_ "

"Every day's great at your Junes!" Nanako sang, smiling a bit. Trying to cheer himself up and get rid of the new batch of goosebumps, Yu sang the ending words of the commercial after Nanako.

"You memorized it already?" Nanako said with a large smile. "I'm the best one in my class!" Nanako continued to sing the song over and over, almost seeming to forget the terrifying news story. Yu smiled, feeling his own fear lift, and took a sip of his tea.


	3. Find My Soulmate

**Wednesday, 4-13-11. Weather: Cloudy With Rain Later in the Night.**

As Yu was walking to school the next morning, the same kid on the bike rode by. Like the day before, the bike twisted out of his control, but this time, the teen was sent into an open garbage can.

“S-Someone…” The sight was almost comical. The other teen’s upper body was wedged into the trashcan, and attempting to get out by kicking his legs only rolled the trash around.

_Maybe I should help him…_ Yu thought, glancing up at the looming school building. _It’s either let this kid face King Moron’s wrath alone, or face him together…_

_Eh, fuck it, I have nothing to lose._ Yu wrapped his arms around the other boy’s waist (earning a few kicks to his stomach) and pulled hard. The other boy flew out of the trash, a few scraps of cardboard flying out with him. The other student shook his head, stood up and got his bike off the ground. Only when he mounted his bike he noticed that Yu was sitting on the ground holding his stomach and groaning in pain.

“Whew, you saved me! Thanks, um… Oh yeah, that’s right. You’re that transfer student, Yu Narukami, right?”

“Yep, that’s my name. And you?” With an odd grin, the light-haired student fixed the headphones resting on his shoulders and bent down, pulling up Yu so that he was standing up.

“I’m Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet ya.”

“Are you okay? No stray ramen noodles stuck to your shoulder?” Yu grinned, slowly relaxing - ignoring the white noise in the back of his head as he cracked a joke.

“Huh?! Are there really- oh, very funny. Yeah, yeah I’m fine. Say, did you hear about the incident from yesterday? They found that announcer lady hanging from an antenna!” Yu shuddered, not wanting to imagine a dead body hanging around. It’s not like he hadn’t heard of, or seen a dead body before, but in a town like this a murder was just out of place.

“Ugh, don’t remind me, I got too close to that crime scene. It freaked Satonaka-san and Amagi-san out, and don’t get me started on how my night went.”

“Whoa, you serious?! Did you see the body?” Yosuke said blithely, only then realising he was in the middle of the sidewalk and not in the safety of his room. “Uh, sorry, but this is the first exciting thing to happen in this town! You think it was some kinda warning? There’s no way something that weird could’ve been an accident.”

“You… might be right.” Yu looked away from the other teen, coincidentally looking at the school. Realization dawned on him, and he soon ran around Yosuke. “Crap, we’re gonna be late!” To his surprise, Yosuke began to pedal his bike until it was right beside Yu.

“You wanna ride? It’s a little squeaky, but it should be fine.”

“No, way.” Yu said in between pants. “That thing can, barely handle, one rider, let alone two.”

“Suit yourself!” Yosuke shouted as he shot ahead of Yu, only to have the front wheel jerk out of his control and face plant into the ground. Yu, watching form only a few feet behind the other teen, promptly fell onto the ground holding his sides, laughing hysterically. Izanagi watched from the roof above the two teens, and the white noise in the back of Yu’s mind disappeared.

* * *

“Be quiet, you idiots!”

_Oh great, we made it right in time for hell._

“You guys are in high school, aren’t you!? Can’t you shut up during class? Don’t you have any common sense?” Morooka raged, a vein popping in his forehead as the rest of the teenagers began to calm down - albeit they all had angry expressions on their faces. “First of all, my job is to waste my precious time teaching you assholes philosophy! And since I’m so nice, I’ll straighten up your rotten attitudes while I’m at it! Aren’t you honored!? And I’ll be going especially hard on any of you morons that’re curious about the murder! Got it!? Now, get your books out!”

“Great, the only exciting thing around pisses King Moron off!” Yosuke whispered, leaning forward so that Yu could hear him. “So much for talking about it while he blabbers on.”

“We aren’t condemned to this place, y’know. We can talk later when Morooka is done.” Yu said, scribbling down a few notes as Morooka continued.

“I can’t wait.”

* * *

“So, you getting used to this place?” Yosuke asked Yu at the end of the school day, stretching besides Yu’s desk.

“Yeah, believe it or not. It’s not that much different from home.” Yu replied, thoughts not entirely focused on his current conversation. The white noise had returned from earlier, and it was honestly more annoying than anything else. It messed with his hearing and focus, and he was considering running by the shopping district to see if any stores had something that could alleviate his odd headache.

“Wow, that was fast. There isn’t much to do here compared to the big city, but there is that certain… something you can’t get anywhere else.”

Yosuke was right, there was something that you can’t get here in the city. Odd headaches, weird murders, and considering his uncle was a detective there was no way that he wouldn’t be hearing more of this. Hiding things, medical or just flat out weird, could be hard with Dojima. Regardless, Yu kept feeling like there was something seriously wrong with that whole murder. _I’ve seen crime scenes before, but I’ve never felt that strong an urge to run…_

“...Oh, you know about the local delicacy?”

“Huh?!” Yu jumped, eyes widening as he turned his attention back to Yosuke. “Uh, no, what is it?”

“It’s grilled steak, man! Like that’s anything special, huh? I know a place where you can get it cheap. Wanna come? You helped me out this morning, so it’s on me.”

“What about me, huh?” Said a certain green-jacket-wearing girl. Chie stalked up to Yosuke with a glare that could melt through ice, hands on her hips, and her backpack precariously slung over her shoulder. “No apologies? My _Trial of the Dragon_!”

Yosuke groaned, placing his hand over his face. “You always come around when I’m talking about food…”

“How about it, Yukiko? Don’t you think he should treat us, too?” Chie continued to her friend, who was placing her textbooks into her bag at the desk in front of Yu.

“I’ll pass…” Yukiko looked down, purposefully avoiding Chie’s gaze. “I don’t want to gain any more weight. I need to help out at the inn today, anyway.”

“Anymore…?” Yu whispered, looking at Yukiko’s body. “What does she mean by anymore?”

“Wow, Yukiko-san! You started training to take over the business?” Yosuke said with a wink, and Yu could visibly see the steam bursting out of Chie’s ears. The white noise rose to a roar, and Yu and to close his eyes and rub the bridge of his nose. A hand was placed on Yu’s shoulder, and the white noise stopped near instantly. He glanced to his right, eyes widening when he saw Izanagi’s legs passing through Chie’s desk.

“Huh? Do I seriously have to treat two people?” Yu’s attention snapped back to the conversation going on around him. Yukiko had left, but Yosuke and Chie were still present, talking about food.

“I might be able to lighten the load, but not by much.” Yu said, grabbing the 1,500¥ that was in his jacket’s pocket.

“Don’t worry about it, I can pay.” Yosuke groaned, leaving the classroom with Yu and Chie in tow.

* * *

“ _This_ is the “cheap place” you were talking about?” Chie yelled as Yosuke put down the three orders of takoyaki and sodas from the Junes food court. “They don’t have grilled steak here!”

“Yeah, well, once you hopped on the freeloader train, I had to change my plans.” Yosuke grumbled, picking up his order and popping a takoyaki ball into his mouth.

“I said I could help you lessen the pay a bit…” Yu mumbled, the yen in his pocket weighing him down now.

“And like I said, don’t worry about it! It’s on me.” Yosuke said around the takoyaki, a few crumbs flying out of his mouth and onto the table.

“Still, that’s no reason to take us to your place.” Chie mumbled, glaring at the measly food she was given compared to the large steak she had envisioned.

“Dude, this isn’t my place or anything.”

Yu tilted his head, and Izanagi (who had been leaning on the fence besides Yu) copied the action. “His place?”

“Oh, right. I haven’t told you yet, huh?” Yosuke said. “I moved here from another city about six months back. This location just opened up, and my dad as assigned to manage it, so our entire family as brought out here.

“Here,” Yosuke picked up one of the soft drinks and held it up, almost as if he were about to make a toast. “this is to welcome you to town. Satonaka, yours is on me too.” Yu and Chie picked up the last to drinks on the food tray, while Yu took a few sips to see if he liked it, Chie took one large gulp before picking up the takoyaki and digging in.

“So…” Chie mumbled around the takoyaki ball in her mouth. “Why’d you transfer here?”

Yu sighed, glancing at Izanagi when they phased through a few tables and looked up at the menu displayed over the food court’s kitchen. “My parents had a job overseas and they didn’t want to leave me alone in the house all year. So, they did the next best thing and brought me here, where my uncle lives.” I’m not telling them everything, Yu thought, but I will once I trust them not to run away from me.

“Jeez…” Yosuke mumbled, putting down his food and drink. “Is this the first time you’ve transferred to another school?”

“...no, I’ve kind of been dragged around nearly everywhere, really.”

“Man, compared to you, Yosuke has it easy!” Chie exclaimed, wincing in sympathy at Yu’s situation. “It’s only been half a year since this place opened up, but I haven’t been to the local shopping district much since. A lot of stores there started closing, and… Oh, uh…” Yosuke groaned and rolled his eyes, defensively crossing his arms over his chest.

_So, Chie trails off, and Yosuke gets really defensive when their nervous. Huh._ “You can’t blame it all on Junes, can you?” Yosuke replied, glaring down at his food. Yu, being new to the town, just watched in confusion as the scene took place. After a few seconds of tense silent, Yosuke looked to the left and his expression immediately brightened.

“Hey, Saki-senpai!” Yosuke turned back to his two friends with a large grin. “Sorry, be right back.” Once Yosuke got up from the table, Yu noticed the disgusted look on Chie’s face as she opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue, pretending to gag.

“Who’s that?” Yu asked, and Chie’s expression immediately changed to a large grin.

“That’s Saki Konishi.” Chie pointed to the girl Yosuke was chatting with. “Her family runs a liquor store in the shopping district. I think she’s working here part-time though.”

“Hm… think she’d be good girlfriend material for Yosuke?” Yu asked, taking a slow sip from his soda. Chie burst out into a laughing fit, holding her stomach and leaning back in her chair.

“Yosuke and Saki? No way, she’s way out of his league!”

“Wonder what they’re talking about…” Yu pondered, picking up the last takoyaki ball and popping it into his mouth, savoring the flavor. As if answering to an unbidden command, Izanagi moved away from the menu he had been staring at for the past five minutes and moved towards the two, crouching on his hands and knees right besides them.

“...your friends here?” It was almost as if a pathway had opened, Izanagi’s hearing flowing to Yu’s. The background noise around Yu had disappeared, and instead his hearing was now focused on the conversation happening on the other side of the food court.

“Madam, you wound me!” Yosuke joked, and even from far away Yu could see him put his hand over his heart and lean back. Soon after, he straightened, and continued after Saki’s small, barely noticeable giggles had stopped. “Kidding aside… you look down. Did something happen?”

“It’s nothing, I’m just a little tired.”

“Hey, if you need to talk, I’m always willing to listen. I…” Saki giggled again, snapping Yosuke out of his odd trance.

“I’m okay. Tha-”

Chie’s hand connected with the back of Yu’s head, causing him to yelp in pain. Looking to his left, Yu noticed that Chie had sat back down, rubbing her hand and looking very pissed at the other teen at the table. Yu cringed, and scooted his chair away from her. _Did she ask me something while I wasn’t paying attention? No, she wouldn’t have hit me if that was the case. Satonaka-san’s temperamental but…_ Chie glanced down at her hand, her jaw clenched, but the anger wasn’t in her eyes anymore.

_Was she… scared?_

“Are you the transfer student?” Yu jumped and looked to his right, Saki Konishi standing to his right with a faint smile on her face.

“Yes, and you are Saki Konishi, correct?” Thank god I’m good at hiding the fact I’m scared.

“Oh, did you hear about me already? It must be nice to have someone else from the big city to talk to, huh? I don’t see Hana-chan hanging out with the other guys much.”

“Ah, so you’re a lady’s man, Hanamura-san?” Yu said, smirking as he glanced at the other teen. Yosuke - who had picked up his soda and was taking a drink - spat out the soda and began coughing, Chie burst out into laughter again, and Saki smiled and the whole scene.

“Wha- dude!” Yosuke exclaimed, trying to wipe off any soda droplets that had gotten on his uniform. “You can’t just say stuff like that out of the blue!”

“Either way,” Saki continued, smiling at Yosuke as he tried to clean himself off. “Hana-chan’s a good guy, but he can get nosy sometimes. You gotta tell him right to his face when he starts to annoy you.”

“Nah, he’s a good guy.” Yu said, handing Yosuke some napkins while suppressing a smirk.

“I know, I’m just kidding.”

“C-C’mon, Senpai. There’s no need to worry about something like that.” Yosuke said, his face lit up with embarrassment.

Saki sighed as she glanced at the clock on the far wall of the food court. “Well, my break’s just about over. Back to work I go. Laters!”

Yosuke stared at the retreating figure of the third-year student and sighed, sinking back into his seat. “Yu man, seriously, why did you say that!”

“Sorry, Hanamura-san,” yu replied, not bothering to hold back a few chuckles now. “I had to make some sort of good impression on the third year.”

“Hey, don’t try to ‘steal’ her from Yosuke, he’d probably lock you in Junes and you’d never get out!” Chie joked, cracking into giggles.

“Hey, dude, c’mon, it’s not like that!” Yosuke said, sitting up straighter in his seat.

“Oh rea-lly…” Chie’s smile grew into a malicious grin, and she managed to match Yosuke’s height in the chair by straightening up. “Well, I know just the thing to cheer up that lovesick heart. You ever hear of the Midnight Channel?”

The white noise that had been present at school buzzed lowly in the back of Yu’s head, and he grit his teeth as he tried to focus on the conversation.

“You’re supposed to look into a TV that’s switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night. While you’re staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen, and they say that person’s your soulmate!”

“What? For a second, I thought you were actually going to say something useful. How can you get all excited over such a childish urban legend like that?” Yosuke replied, taking a final sip from his soda before taking the cup and throwing it into a trashcan not too far from their table.

“Childish, huh? You don’t believe it, do you!?”

“Of course I don’t!”

“Well it’s raining tonight! Let’s all try it out, then you’ll see!”

“Try it out...? Wait, you haven’t even tried it yourself? Wow, I’m trying to remember the last time I heard something this stupid…” Turning his attention back to Yu, Yosuke dropped the previous conversation with Chie. “All that aside, you know that “incident” yesterday? You guys think it was murder? Ooh, what if the culprit behind it was still lurking around? Heehee.”

“Don’t even joke about that!” Chie and Yu both said, glancing at each other for a brief moment before turning back to Yosuke. While Chie stayed silent, Yu continued.

“Yeah, I think it’s murder, there’s definitely enough to say it’s murder. The problem with that is that the culprit could definitely be around, and if he strikes again, then no one will know how to deal with it. Heck, how many of you guys have weapons in your room?”

“Uh… why would we have weapons?” Yosuke asked, tilting his head.

“Exactly.”

“Well… do you have one?” Chie said, huddling into her jacket.

“I did have one in the city, but it would probably rip apart most of the stuff in my bag if I brought it.”

“What? What kind of weapon did you have?”

“I got a wooden bat and drilled screws in it.” Noticing the shocked expressions of the other two teens, Yu continued. “What, is that really that weird?”

“...all I’m saying is, you guys better try it out tonight.” Chie said, trying to steer the conversation away from murder and weapons. She could easily pummel anyone with her kung fu skills, but the talk of actual knives and guns - or in this case bats - freaked her out.

“All right, fine.” Yosuke relented, tilting his head back. “I’ll do it, now can I please finish my- hey! Where’s the rest of my takoyaki!”

Chie burped and patted her stomach, then jumped out of her chair and ran for her life when Yosuke started chasing her.

* * *

Nanako let out a sigh as she played with her bowl of rice, and Yu couldn’t help but feel bad for her.

“Did your father call?”

“No. He always says he will…” She looked dejectedly down at her food until the sound of the door opening caught her attention. Her face lit up, and she jumped up from her chair and ran to the door. “Oh! He’s home!”

Dojima came into the kitchen with an exuberated Nanako holding his arm with a large grin. While Nanako’s energy seemed endless, Dojima looked as if he was ready to collapse. “What a day…”

“Do… you want me to get anything for you Dojima-san?” Yu said, prepared to get up from his seat. Izanagi, who was hunched over on the couch, moved when the older man sank down into the cushions. _Even Dojima doesn’t see it… what the hell is wrong with me?_

“No, Yu, I’m fine. Did anything happen while I was out?”

“No.” Nanako threw her hands down before plopping down into her seat. Huffing, she sent a childish glare at her father. “You’re late again…”

“I’m sorry… Been busy at work.”

“Speaking of work,” Yu interjected, putting down his chopsticks. “Has there been any progress, or…?”

“I’d… rather not talk about it, Yu. Could you put the news on for me, Nanako?” Despite her grudge against her father, Nanako picked up the TV remote and changed it to the news network, which had just begun a new story.

_“Next, more details in the developing story on the incident in foggy Inaba. Announcer Mayumi Yamano’s dead body was found hanging above a house in this isolated rural town. It is confirmed that Ms. Yamano had been involved in an affair with Taro Namatame, husband of enka singer Misuzu Hiiragi.”_

_“The police plan to investigate this relationship and question any personnel involved with them. In addition, we now bring you an exclusive interview with the local student who found Ms. Yamano’s body.”_

“A student…?” Yu muttered, taking a bite of his sushi - takeout, he would need to get groceries and make something soon - and letting the report continue.

He didn’t exactly expect the white noise to go insane when the blurred out face of the student appeared. Izanagi’s presence did nothing to dwindle the annoying static, and the highschooler had to grit his teeth and ignore the sound to focus on anything.

Dojima groaned. “An interview with the kid…? Where the hell did they find her?” The occasional yawn broke through his sentence, and Yu could again see the bags under his eyes.

_“What went through your mind when you saw it?”_ Asked the oddly excited reporter on the screen. “ _Could you tell she was dead? Did you see her face?”_

_“U-Umm…”_ The student visible shrunk away from the cameraman and the news reporter, their distorted voice sending chills down Yu’s back. _Something’s wrong, it’s the same feeling I got around the crime scene._

_“Don’t you think it’s scary that someone was killed on a foggy day?”_ The reporter continued, either ignorant to - or forcibly ignoring the students discomfort.

_“Huh? She was killed?”_

_“Oh, er… So did you see anyone suspicious around here?”_

_“No, not really.”_

_“We heard that you found it when you left school early. Did you have some personal business to take care of?”_

_“Huh? That’s-” None of their business_. Yu finished in his mind, holding his chopsticks so tight that they were close to breaking. Sensing his anger and discomfort, Izanagi stood from the couch and raised their right arm, the Naginata appearing and ready to strike the television set.

“No!” Yu shouted, dropping the chopsticks onto the table as he stared at Izanagi. While the tall, supernatural creature backed down, Nanako and Dojima both gave him looks of confusion.

“I… uh…” _Shit, what the hell do I tell them?!_ “I… just remembered that Morooka gave the whole class homework! Darn, I should, uh, go and do that now.” Yu stammered out, standing from the table abruptly and rushing up the stairs, losing complete interest in the news report. Slamming the bedroom door behind him, Yu took a deep breath, and his head thumped against the thin wood. Izanagi phased through the wall beside him and stood in the center of the room.

“I really need to teach you normal human behavior if this whole thing is going to work out…” Yu paused and slapped his hand over his face. “Great, now I’m talking to my own hallucination.” Izanagi tilted his head, and Yu let out a defeated sigh before moving to his couch. He had not turned on the lights, and managed to stumble around in the near pitch-black room until he found the couch and sat down. “By the way, would you stabbing the TV break it?” The glowing eyes of Izanagi moved up and down, and Yu let out one last groan.

All of his homework had been completed soon after coming back to the house - if you could even call it homework, as most of it he had learned in the previous year. Taking out his phone, he noticed he had a good half an hour before the ‘Midnight Channel’ would appear.

The phone let off a series of dings, and a text appeared on the screen.

[23:32] Fūjin: hey little dude hows the boonies

Yu rolled his eyes. For a good amount of time, Yu thought his ‘friends’ from the city had left him to spread his own wings in Inaba. Fūjin, one of the first people he had met, had a soft spot for him, and it was understandable that he would check in.

[23:33] Yu Narukami: It wouldn’t be too bad if it weren’t for the murder that just occurred.

[23:35] Fūjin: yeah z raijin and ama were all really super worried when they heard

[23:36] Yu Narukami: So you’re checking in on their behalf?

[23:40] Fūjin: up

[23:40] Fūjin: there was also a raid going on near your home so we all panicked and fought to keeping it in one piece

[23:42] Yu Narukami: Really? Were there any casualties?

[23:45] Fūjin: nah ama nearly got her wrist dislocated but theres nothing serious

[23:45] Fūjin: im also juggling a good four text conversations at once

[23:48] Fūjin: raijins asking if i want to go and beat the crap out of the gang that did it uzumi is wondering whats going on around you and ama is asking if we can all come over to make sure this murderer asshole doesn’t do jack shit again

[23:49] Yu Narukami: Well my uncle is a detective so hopefully I’ll be protected here.

[23:50] Fūjin: holy shit man a cop?

[23:51] Fūjin: oh god man u r fucked

[23:51] Yu Narukami: Tell me about it, he’s going to figure me out at some point.

[23:52] Fūjin: seriously man do you need someon to go down there and help you out

[23:54] Yu Narukami: No, I should be okay for now, but I’ll text you if something incredibly serious comes up.

[23:55] Yu Narukami: Before we end this conversation, when I was younger, did I have a history of hallucinating odd creatures?

[23:58] Fūjin: ama and uzumi are saying nah

[23:58] Fūjin: why

[23:59] Yu Narukami: No reason.

Yu sighed and stood up, ignoring Izanagi’s watchful gaze. The pounding rain outside filled the silence between them, and Yu thought back to his conversation with Chie.

_“You’re supposed to look into a TV that’s switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night. While you’re staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen, and they say that person’s your soulmate!”_

_Would Izanagi being here counteract the Midnight Channel? Yu_ wondered, standing from his couch and moving until he was in front of the old model TV. _God, I’m acting like it’ll happen, too. This town would be a lot more popular if it were true._

The small clock that he had placed on his shelves ticked over to midnight, and Yu immediately relaxed, chuckling to himself. Turning away from the TV, Yu moved back to the window to close the blinds so that the street lights outside wouldn’t bother him.

 

He stopped dead when the TV screen lit up in the window’s reflection, and static blared from the old speakers. Turning around, Yu stood in shock as the static-covered screen would occasionally flicker to a girl with long brown hair who was… writhing in pain.

Lightning struck the ground outside, and migraine assaulted Yu. His senses whited out and he stumbled around the room, a voice echoing in his head, the only thing he could hear besides the ringing in his ears.

**I am thou, thou art I.**

**Thou art the one who opens the door.**

A large bolt of lightning hit the power box outside, causing the power to short out. The windows and lights outside shorted out, and the entire neighborhood was enveloped in darkness. Yu panted from his position on the floor, haven fallen shortly after the voice began speaking. Izanagi allowed electricity to crackle in their hand, the room lighting up so that Yu could see.

It was only a minute after midnight, and the Midnight Channel had already ended.

Yu stood, staring at his TV in fear. Did that… really just happen? He moved back to the old TV model, cautiously stretching his hand out and tapping the glass screen.

The entire screen rippled, bands of white spreading from where Yu’s finger had been. The teen pulled his hand back soon after, gaze flickering from his hand to the TV. Izanagi moved until they were right beside their companion, Naginata held in the hand that wasn’t Yu’s light source.

Feeling more curious at the new development, Yu put his hand against the TV screen and kept pushing. Soon after, his entire hand was in the TV, and he couldn’t help but smile.

That is, until he was violently jerked toward the screen.

Yu’s left shoulder banged into the edge of the TV, but his right arm, shoulder and his head were inside the TV. The teen blindly groped for something to pull him back, deciding that this was no longer a ‘good thing’ and that he needed to get out. Izanagi cut the power to the electricity in their hand and wrapped their arms around his companion’s waist, pulling him out of the TV with… more strength than necessary. Yu was freed from the TV, but since Izanagi’s body defied most laws of physics, they floated through the coffee table while Yu fell back and hit his head directly on the edge of the table. He groaned in pain as he held the injury, glad to not feel any blood on his hands.

Tiny little pats came from the hallway, and Nanako’s voice flitted through the door. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, ‘m fine, Nanako. Did I wake you up?” Yu groaned, pushing himself up from the floor and cradled his throbbing head.

“I heard a really loud noise. Well, good night.” Nanako’s feet patted on the floor as she went back to her room, and Yu let out a sigh of relief. Turning his gaze back to the TV, he was relieved to see it now off, and with no signs of him… entering it.

_What… just happened? Did the others…?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It feels so weird reading over an old chapter that you wrote in early January and you're now reading over and making all the necessary edits in freaking July. In fact, I nearly forgot the text conversation that I put in this. Anyways, Fujin and the others mentioned are super minor characters, old friends of Yu's from the city that would look after him when his parents weren't home. They taught him how to cook and stuff, and occasionally they'll check in Yu to make sure that the murders/kidnaps aren't affecting him to badly. He, or anyone else he's mentioned, won't be brought up for a very, very long time, and I was really close to scrapping the whole idea, but nah. Let in a minor OC. They won't affect the story too much, probably just be there for passing time and stuff.


	4. My TV Tried to Eat Me (And it Did!)

**Thursday, 4-14-11. Weather: Rain throughout the day.**

"Perfect timing! Sorry, move over!" Yu nearly lost his hold on the clear umbrella he was carrying as Chie shoved her way underneath. It was currently drizzling, but Yu could visibly see the small girl shivering in her wet jacket. "I did have my own, but I saw this kung fu movie where they used an umbrella to pull of some sweet moves…" She chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her head as the two continued walking. "And… I accidentally broke mine trying to mimic the movie."

"I'll try to get you a new one, if you want." Yu offered, moving forward so that the two of them would not be late.

"Nah, it's fine. I can survive without an umbrella. By the way… did you see it!?"

"If you're referring to the Midnight Channel, then yes, I did."

"Aha, do tell! But the person it showed… Never mind. I'll save it for when the others are around. We're gonna be late for school." Yu nodded in understanding, but he couldn't help but feel grateful for the fact that he wasn't going completely insane. Izanagi had hovered over his shoulder for a majority of the day, acting increasingly violent to other people - whether they could harm them or not. When they saw Nanako in the morning, Izanagi had nearly zapped her due to their high-strung nerves.  _Honestly, I think that anything that Chie saw would be better than what I did. Heck, so long as she isn't hallucinating the eight foot tall man right next to me, I think we'll both be okay._

"Hey, Narukami?" Yu hummed, keeping a close eye on his companion in case they became spontaneously aggressive around Chie. "Have you ever seen your eyes, err, change color?"

Yu froze and nearly dropped the umbrella for a second time. Chie, on the other hand, stared at Yu with wide eyes, not expecting that kind of response. Yu took in a deep breath, calming himself before replying to his friend's question. "Yes, but that can happen with different lighting. For example, your eyes could be lighter or darker with more or less light in the area."

"Yeah, but… I mean turn a completely different color. Like, um… your eyes changing from gray to blue? Has that happened before?" Yu began swearing profusely in his head, unable to think of an excuse or a topic to change too. Thankfully for him, the duo had just arrived at the gates leading to Yasogami High, and Yu ran ahead, leaving Chie in the rain. Yu immediately went to his foot locker and took out his slippers in exchange for his normal shoes, and ran up the stairs to his homeroom class.

* * *

The entire day, Chie was giving Yu a death glare. If it weren't for the fact that it was the middle of the school day, and that Yu was still new to the school, she would have decked him the moment their eyes met. Yu was eternally grateful - and probably would only be grateful now - for the fact that Morooka was their homeroom teacher. If Chie had done anything violent to him while class was happening, she would have gotten detention or worse.

Now, however, they had a lesson with Ms. Sofue. Yu didn't exactly know what she would do if Chie kicked him in a certain area, but so far it looked like everyone wanted to stay on this teacher's nice side.

"Since this is my first lecture, I'll start with an easy question." Ms. Sofue's gaze raked through the whole class before settling on a certain silver-haired teen. "Our transferee, Mr. Narukami, please stand up." The entire class was focused on him, and Yu could tell that Chie was wishing he would get it wrong. Simplistic revenge tends to be the best revenge, really.

"The western calendar is based on Anno Domini, the traditionally believed year of Jesus Christ's birth. What is the year before 1 AD called?"

_Really? This was the first thing we learned last year_. "1 BC."

"Ah, you seem to understand this well."  _No kidding_. "If you think that history is like math, 0 AD would be the natural assumption, but world history is much more complicated. The Gregorian calendar we use today is based on the Julian calendar, which was made while there was no concept of the zero as a number. That's why, when counting backwards, we go from 1 AD straight to 1 BC. Hopefully that was a nice introduction to world history, you may sit down now, Mr. Narukami."

Yu sighed in relief, glancing at Chie, who had puffed out her cheeks and sunk into her seat. Yu, on the other hand, gave her a large grin.

* * *

"What's up with the body being hung upside-down? That's so freaky!"  _Oh god, not more of this_. Yu inwardly groaned, vainly trying to block out the two gossiping girls to his right.

"Is it supposed to be like, mimicking an execution? It's messed up…"

"My senpai told me it was a third-year named Saki who found the body." Yu froze from putting his pencils back in his bag, remembering the news report that was on the night before.  _No wonder I recognized the girl being interviewed._

"Y-Yo." Yosuke stammered out, shuffling his feet as he stood next to Yu. "Um…"

"What's wrong, Hanamura?"

"It's, uh, it's not really that important, but… Well, yesterday on the TV, I…" Yosuke looked at the ground and shook his head, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Never mind. Look, I'll tell you later."

"Yosuke!" shouted Chie, moving away from the chalkboard - now decorated in a multitude of steaks - to the two second years. "Did you hear the rumor? Saki-senpai's supposedly the one who discovered that body."

"Wonder if that's why she looked so down. She doesn't seem to be at school today either."

"Yeah, that weird reporter was interviewing her yesterday too. I don't blame her for not wanting to come in." Yu interjected, moving his bag off his desk so that Chie could sit down, noticing that Yukiko had left, but not intercepting her. "Regardless, did you guys watch it?"

"Huh…?" Yosuke mumbled before his eyes widened. "Uh, well… what about you, Chie?"

"I did! I seriously saw a girl!" Chie said with a large smile, only for it to fall as she thought about what she just said. "But… my soulmate's a girl? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Are you sure it's a girl?" Yu questioned. "Either way, just because a girl's your 'soulmate' doesn't mean that you're going to get in a romantic relationship with them."

"Huh? What do you…" Chie started, only to stop and get back on track. "Well, I couldn't quite tell  _who_  it was, but it was a girl for sure. Her hair was brown, about shoulder length. She was wearing our school uniform, and-"

"Whoa, what?" Yosuke interrupted. "I think that's the same person I saw! I couldn't make out that much detail though. The image I saw was much blurrier."

"Wait, so you saw it too!? And we saw the same girl… does that mean we have the same soulmate?"

"Make room for one more, cause I saw the same girl as well." Yu interjected, looking down at his lap. "But… after that, things got really weird."

"What do you mean, weird?" Chie said, hands on her hips with scathing glare at her friend. "If you make one comment about how this 'relationship' would work out, then I'm out of here."

"No, I…" Yu stopped, glanced at Izanagi, and continued. "After the Midnight Channel ended, I heard some weird voice and had a really bad headache. The power shorted out, and I tapped the TV screen to assure myself that it was real… and I got sucked  _into my TV_. I'm actually lucky I had an old model that was small, because my shoulder got caught on the edge. If it weren't for that, I probably wouldn't be sitting here."

A tense atmosphere hung around the three high schoolers, only to be broken by Yosuke breaking down into chuckles. "Were you that tired last night? You must've just fallen asleep in front of your TV."

"That'd be one interesting dream though. I like the part where you got stuck 'cause your TV was too small. That's pretty realistic."

_But I did! I got sucked into the TV! If Izanagi weren't there, I probably wouldn't have been here!_  Yu wanted to scream at them, did they really not go through the same thing? He hung his head, cheeks glowing red with a mixture of anger and embarrassment, as Chie continued to talk to Yosuke.

"That reminds me. Our family's been talking about buying a bigger TV."

"Oh yeah? Well, flat screen TVs are definitely in these days. Wanna go check 'em out on the way back? We're beefing up our electronics department this month."

"Oh, definitely! My parents don't know anything about electronics, and I've just gotta see my kung-fu movies on the big screen!" Lifting her right leg and arms into the air, Chie struck a kung-fu pose and let out a rather loud battle cry. A few students in the back of the classroom glanced their way, only to go back to their gossiping a few moments later.

"We've got some pretty big ones in stock." Yosuke said, smugly smiling at Yu. ""I bet they'd be big enough for you to fit into!" Yu glared at Yosuke, half tempted to take his umbrella and whack Yosuke's head with it. Instead, he simply nodded and stood up, going to the lockers at the bottom of the stairs to get his umbrella and normal shoes to go to Junes.

* * *

"Wow, this is huge! And..." Noticing the large amount of zeros on the price tag beneath it, Chie quickly backed away from the large plasma flat screen TV. "Holy crap, it's expensive! Who buys something like this?"

"I dunno, rich folks?" Yosuke said shrugging, looking around with a bored expression. Yu, on the other hand, was looking around at the rest of the TVs in the Junes electronic department. "Honestly, not many people shop for TVs here. That's why we don't have clerks around."

"Huh, not worth trying then, I guess. Well, at least looking's free." Chie turned to her right looked Yosuke in the eyes grinning. The two stepped up to the TV and placed their hands against the screen. They did this for a few seconds before pulling back and giggling, making sure that the third member of their group was watching.

"Nope," Yosuke said, sarcasm in each word. "can't get in. Figures."

"This proves it." Chie said, turning to Yu, who was glowering from where he was stood, trying his best to block out the snide comments the two were throwing his way. "It was all just a dream."

"Alright, I get it." Yu submitted, looking at the floor. "Ha ha, laugh at Yu for being stupid and trying to bring up something that was concerning him. Very funny."

"How was a dream concerning?" Yosuke was chuckling now, thinking that Yu was playing along. Yu, on the other hand, stayed silent. Izanagi, who was on his left, stayed close to their depressed partner and sent a death glare at Yosuke.

Chie shook her head, pulling Yosuke away and asking him if there were any cheap TVs there. Yu, on the other hand, moved toward the TV.

_Did I really just… dream all that up?_  Yu pondered, but then he tapped the back of his head - right where he had hit it on the edge of the coffee table. A sharp pain resonated through his skull, and Izanagi flinched beside him.  _No, that wouldn't have hurt if it was a dream! But, at the same time… that means I really was sucked into the TV._  Raising his hand, he copied Chie and Yosuke's earlier actions, and put it against the TV screen.  _Maybe it's only the TV in my ro-_

With an odd humming sound, the screen rippled and he was sucked into the large screen of the TV. Yu managed to stop before anything more than his wrist was pulled in, and a victorious smile crossed his face. Yosuke, on the other hand, had turned away from Chie to look back at the silver haired teen. "Oh yeah, Yu, what kind of TV do you-"

Understandably, the sight of his friend's hand  _inside of a television_  kind of freaked him out. In fact, it freaked him out to the point that he froze in shock and just stared at Yu's now no-longer-existing hand.

"Huh? Something wrong, Yosuke?" Turning her head to see what her friend was seeing, she too froze when she saw what was happening with Yu.

"I-Is his arm… in the TV…?"

"Whoa... uh… is that some kinda… new model? L-Like with a new function?"

"Hell no!" The two rushed over to Yu - who was incredibly thankful for the fact that no one besides him could see Izanagi. They were glowering at the TV that Yu was in front of, random arcs of electricity jumping off of their body. Thankfully, none of them seemed to move towards the three teens, but the sight alone was terrifying.

"So…" Yu began, smiling at his hand. "Do I have the authority to make jokes at you for not believing me, or…?"

"You can do that after we get your hand out of the TV!" Yosuke shouted, then stopped, realizing what he just said. "Oh man, this is for real. That's some magic trick, man! So how's it work, huh? What's the magician's secret!"

"Yosuke, you're panicking."

"Why the hell wouldn't we be panicking!" Chie yelled, stomping her foot on the ground. "Your hand is inside the TV! Believe it or not Yu, that isn't normal!"

_Last night I could stick more in than my arm… Well, the TV is big enough_. Pulling his hand back, Yu crawled onto the raised platform the flatscreen was on and stuck his entire head in, this time observing the area around him. A phantom presence of a hand was placed on his lower back, and Yu was reassured that Izanagi would pull him out if need be it.

"H-hey, don't do that! What're you doing!?" Yosuke exclaimed, staring at Yu in shock. To the group's collective surprise, Yu could hear them clearly, and vice versa.

"I'm looking around, what do you think?"

"Oh my god…" Chie shouted, backing away from the two boys.

Sweeping his gaze side to side, Yu could only see a thick fog. Granted, said fog was tinted yellow, but there were no large land marks or 'surprise celebrities' inside. "It's nothing but empty space, you could probably put a house here and still have room."

"What do you mean, "inside"?" Yosuke said, starting to tap his foot on the ground.

"What do you mean, "empty space"!?"

"I'm just saying, it's spacious in here. I wouldn't really be opposed to coming in here if I could, uh, see the ground." Yu's eyes widened as he realized that he had to be somewhere above the ground, as the TV was elevated, and he blindly reached for the top edge of the TV. "Okay, nevermind, I want out."

"Holy crap… I-I think this is all too much for my bladder." Yosuke said, hopping from foot to foot while holding his crotch.

"What the- are you gonna pee your pants?!" Chie shouted, now using Yu as a shield so that way she wouldn't be able to see any darker stains on Yosuke's black pants.

"I've been holding it in all day, I haven't had a chance to go! Argh! Can't… hold it… anymore..."

"If you use the TV as your personal porta potty while my head is here, I will not hesitate to push you in and say 'bon voyage.'" Yu threatened, managing to get a grip on the edge of the TV. However, when he tried to pull himself out, he discovered that -for whatever reason- he was stuck. "U-Uh… guys?"

"Shit! Customers! They're coming!" Yosuke exclaimed

"What!? But we've got a guy half stuck in the TV here! What're we gonna do!?"

"Guys!?" Yu heard the sound of sneakers rapidly hitting the linoleum tiles, and Izanagi grabbed the back of his jacket. However, before they could pull Yu out of the TV, Chie and Yosuke tripped over each other and then bumped into Yu as they lost their balance. Izanagi watched in shock as their companion and his friends were all shoved through the TV screen, Yosuke screaming the whole way down.

* * *

Yu swore that his shoulder was nearly dislocated when he landed. Soon after, Chie and Yosuke thumped against the ground around him, groaning in pain. Yu took a few seconds to compose himself, breathing in and out as Yosuke complained about falling on his wallet.

"Man, where the heck are we?" Chie asked, looking at the foggy landscape around her. Yu groaned and rolled until he was standing up. Offering his hand to Yosuke, Yu helped the other boy onto his feet. Chie, on the other hand, simply got up on her home and rotated her arms. "What is this place? Some place inside Junes?"

"Hell no it isn't. I mean, we fell through a TV!" Yosuke muttered, trying to see if there was anything besides fog around them. "I...really just said that, did I?"

"So… uh… we're still alive, right?" Chie asked, visibly shaking as she asked the question.

"Are you guys okay?" Yu asked, staying close to the other teens. Chie nodded while Yosuke groaned, rubbing his backside.

"I think my butt's cracked now."

"Of course it is!" Chie muttered, glaring at the brown haired boy. He pointedly ignored her glare and squinted, finally managing to see where they were standing.

"Whoa!"

"What now? Don't tell me that you actually wet your pants!"

"No, stupid. Look around!"

"It looks like a stage of some sort." Yu stated rather calmly. Scaffolding reached high above them holding multiple spotlights that lit up the area rather unsuccessfully. The square-shaped floor beneath them was decorated with a bulls eye, and outlines of limp bodies were drawn onto it. Metallic bridges extended from the four edges, but anything beyond that was lost in the fog. "Is this… a studio?" Chie questioned, moving towards a bunch of active spotlights near one of the edges. "All this fog… or is it smoke? There's no place like this in Inaba, is there?"

"I haven't been here for more than a week and even I can tell that." Yu spoke up, looking around the area apprehensively. With a jolt, he realized that Izanagi was nowhere to be seen, and the connection between the two had altered to the point where he could not access Izanagi's senses.

"Man, this place is huge." Yosuke spun in place with a look of awe on his face.

"What're we gonna do?" Chie wailed, holding her head.

"We need to look around." Yu stated, moving towards one of the many bridges surrounding them. "There isn't an exact exit we can take to get out, so we need to find one."

"Huh?" Chie turned around, finally noticing that there wasn't another TV or glowing white portal in plain sight. "W-Which way did we come in from? Because I can't see a way in or out!"

"What? That can't be right, how could that be?" Yosuke yelled, rushing past Chie and looking around, and then up - which was the direction he had assumed was how they got in. Just like Chie said, there was nothing visible around that would lead back home.

"I don't know, don't ask me!" Chie screamed back, tears welling up in her eyes. "I can't take this anymore! I wanna go home!"

"Okay, so how!?"

"Calm down!" Yu shouted, placing his hand on the two quarrelers chest. "Yelling at each other isn't going to solve anything! We know that there isn't an exit around here, so maybe there's one farther away we could use. Either way, getting angry isn't going to help us now, we need to stick together and stay calm."

"Y-You're right. Okay…" Yosuke took a deep breath in and closed his eyes. "Okay, let's calm down and think about this. All right, we need to find a way out, that much is obvious."

"Is there really a way outta here…?" Chie's voice trembled, sniffling slightly.

"If there's a way in, there's a way out." Yu stated calmly, patting his friend reassuringly on the shoulder.

"That's true, but..."

"If there's no exit, we're trapped," Yosuke stopped beating around the bush and stated the truth, ignoring Chie's flinch. "so let's cross our fingers and look around." Picking a path at random, Yu kept his hand on Chie's shoulder as they crossed the metallic bridge, desperately hoping that they weren't stuck there forever.

* * *

"Remind me again how we got into an apartment complex?" Yu questioned, trying his best to ignore the fact that they were very high up. Despite saying that this was an apartment complex, there had been no doors for them to enter, just hallway after hallway.

"You're the one that picked the path, dude." Yosuke mumbled, kicking a loose pebble on the ground.

"What is this place? It feels different from where we were before…" Chie stated, leaning over the metal railing to see if the ground was visible. Yu, on the other hand, grabbed the neck of her jacket and pulled her back before she could lean too far. "Wha-! What was that for!"

"We're high above the ground, in an unfamiliar place, and you were leaning on a railing that we don't even know would support your weight." Yu continued, pulling Chie further away from the edge. "I'm not going to let you die because of faulty building structure."

"Dude, why the hell are you so scared of heights?" Yosuke asked, prying Yu's hand from Chie's jacket. Looking around, Yosuke sighed. "This fog's so thick I can hardly see."

"Are you sure we're not wandering farther away?"

"We can always retrace our steps." Yu replied.

"I know, but…"

"We don't really have much of a choice." Yu stated as he moved ahead with Yosuke. Chie had to move faster to catch up to the two, who had entered the only visible room. Despite everything else around them being strange and altered, this room appeared to be the most normal. A small rug lay by a neat bed, with a wilting plant nearby an open window. A shelf containing a small amount of books and manga hung on the wall, and Yu couldn't help but sigh at the small amount of normality in the condo.

"Hey, is it just me, or is the fog lighter here?" Yosuke chimed in, and Yu hummed in agreement. He was half tempted to lay down on the bed and take a nap, but his priorities came first. Make sure that Chie and Yosuke are okay, find an exit, and then find Izanagi. Then he would take a nap. "No service, what a surprise."

"Can you guys slow down a little?" Yu and Yosuke turned around to talk to Chie, only to freeze when they saw the other walls of the apartment. "It's hard enough to see where you're going…" Chie, noticing their expressions, turned around and covered her mouth.

The rest of the walls were either covered in torn up posters, or splattered with red, white and yellow substances. The ceiling, on the other hand, was covered with words drawn in the red substance. While a majority of them overlapped, Yu could make out 'WHORE', 'SLUT', and 'BITCH' pretty clearly, but god knows what else was written there.

"W-What… the hell?" Chie whispered, backing away from the walls until she bumped into Yu's shoulder.

"It keeps getting creepier and creepier the further we go…" Yosuke muttered before letting out an aggravated scream and hopping from foot to foot. "I can't hold it any longer, my bladder's gonna explode!" Yosuke ran to the wall furthest from Chie and Yu, zipping his pants down as he went.

"Yosuke, what're you doing!?" Chie shouted, covering her eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.

"I gotta let it out before I piss my pants!"

"You're going here!? Oh, you have got to be kidding…" Yu pulled Chie behind him and turned to Yosuke.

"Don't blame us if something comes through the wall and cuts off your-"

"Shut up! You are not helping!" Yosuke shouted, trying to not focus on the stares of Chie and Yu. A few seconds passed before Yosuke stopped, zipping his pants back up and giving Yu a nasty glare. "I can't do it! It's all your fault if my bladder bursts."

"Like I care." Chie said, lowering her arm and coming out from behind Yu. "Anyway's, what's with this room? Check out these posters, their faces are all cut out. Someone must really hate this person."

Yosuke moved away from the wall only to stop when he noticed the lone chair near a wall mirror. Looking up, he saw a rope tied around a red scarf hanging from a visible pipe on the ceiling. "Dude, this chair and rope… That kind of arrangement is never good. It's tied in a noose… Is this a scarf?"

"C'mon, Let's go back to where we came from and look somewhere else for an exit." Chie said, trying to not look at the makeshift noose.

"I agree with Satonaka, this is a dead end and… freaky." Yu stated, and after seeing Yosuke nod, they all moved to the exit - until they were again stopped by Yosuke.

"Hey, I think I've seen that poster before."

"Who cares, let's go! I am sick of this place!" Chie hunched over, holding her stomach. "And… I'm not feeling so good…"

"Now that you mention it, me too…" Yosuke said, hanging his head as the headache that he was dealing with for the past five minutes throbbed in response.

_My body does feel heavy… Maybe it's because this place feels so oppressive?_  Yu thought, moving over to a clean spot near the door frame and leaning on it.  _God, where the hell is Izanagi. I know that they just appeared randomly, but considering that they've been stuck to my side like glue ever since…_

"Alright, let's go back." Yosuke said, lifting his head and standing straight. "I'm seriously starting to feel sick." Chie and Yu nodded, and the three finally left the apartment, not noticing the masked face phasing through the wall behind them.

* * *

Chie dropped to the ground the moment they got back to the area they started, cradling her head in her hands. Only a few minutes after they had gotten out of the apartment complex, her stomach ache had been coupled with a migraine, and the other three were not faring much better. Yosuke felt like his head was about to explode, along with his bladder, and Yu was honestly scared that he was going to throw up on someone.

"Whew, we finally made it back here." Chie's voice was muffled, but Yu could still sympathize with the short girl's exhaustion. "Ugh, whoever's making that weird squeaking sound, could you _please_ stop? It isn't helping."

"Squeaking noise?" Yosuke looked around, then jumped as he saw the shadowed figure to his right. "Oh, god, Chie get over here?"

"Huh?" Chie lifted her head and looked in the same direction as Yosuke, noticing the steadily approaching… thing. She scrambled to her feet and crouched down, taking up a kung-fu pose. "What's that?"

Slowly but surely, the figure got close enough to the trio for them to see that it was, for some crazy reason, a stuffed animal. "What is this thing? A mokey? A bear?" Chie muttered, but her voice was nearly lost under Yosuke's exclamation of "What in the world?"

"Th-That's what I wanna know!" Chie gasped besides Yu, who jumped back, shocked that the bear's mouth was moving and a clearly intelligent response came out of it. "Who are you guys?"

"It talked!" Chie said, moving forward to see if there were any wires attached to them. "What are you? You wanna fight?"

The toy cowered, turning its back to Chie. "D-Don't yell at me like that…"

_Maybe asking him nicely will work_? "What is this place?" The bear stopped cowering, and even gave Yu a friendly smile.

"This place is what it is, it doesn't have a name. It's where I live."

"You live here?" Yosuke questioned, unable to imagine anything being able to live in a place like this.

"If I was you guys," The bear said, ignoring Yosuke's question. "I'd hurry back to the other side. Someone's been throwing people in here. It's a big headache."

"Throwing people in? What're you talking about?"

"I dunno who's doing it! I just want them to think before they go doing things like that!"

"Hey, what's your problem?" Chie began yelling at the bear, ignoring the look of fear on its face. "What gives you the right to yell at us like that! What are you, where are we?! What the heck's going on here?"

The bear bolted, making a large arc around Yosuke to hide behind Yu, who looked down at the bear in embarrassment. "I already told you. A-Anyways, you should hurry back."

"What it comes down to is, you want us to get outta here, right?" Yosuke said, Chie's anger beginning to affect him as well. "Well, so do we! We just don't know how, dammit!"

The bear turned to Yosuke, stamping its foot down on the ground while growling. "That's why I'm saying I'll let you out!"

"Like I keep saying, we don't know where the frickin' exit-" Yosuke paused, what the bear said finally getting through his head. "Wait, what?"

The bear took two steps back, tapped its right paw on the ground, and a plume of smoke rose in the middle of the trio. Three small TVs, each stacked on top of each other, stood where the smoke was, none of them showing a TV program of any kind.

"Wh-Where did those TVs come from? Chie asked as the three of them moved around to face the screens. While they were looking at the TVs, the bear moved behind hem and began to push them toward the TV, Yu entering first.

"Okay, now go, go, get outta here! I'm a busy bear!" They said as Yu's head went through the screen, ignoring the teens protests as they were shoved through the TVs and out of the bear's home.

* * *

When Yu's eyes opened, he registered three things at once.

1\. Ow, it is really, really bright now.

2\. The Junes jingle was playing, and he was in the electronic section of the store.

3\. Izanagi was crouching next to him, hand held out to help their companion up.

"Huh? Is this?" Chie whispered, eyes welling up with tears as she realized she was home and alive. Yosuke cheered beside Yu, nearly drowning out the announcement playing over the PA.

" _Attention, shoppers. Our daily limited-time sale will now begin at the side dish area on the first floor. Why not try the delicious, fresh produce Junes picked for you this morning as your side dish for dinner tonight? All ages are invited to take advantage of this incredible bargain!_ "

"Crap, it's already that late?" Yosuke muttered, only to be met with confused gazes by Yu and Chie. "That was scheduled to play near closing, so it's nearly ten o'clock right now."

"Huh? Are you kidding me?" Chie said, wiping her tear-streaked face. "Looks like we were in there for quite a while."

"Isn't that the poster we saw in that weird apartment?" Yu said, pointing to the poster not far away from them on the wall. Chie and Yosuke turned to where their friend was pointing.

"Hey, you're right, they're the same. I couldn't tell before without the face, but it was Misuzu Hiiragi. She's been all over the news lately, something about her husband having an affair with that announcer lady who died the other day."

"Don't remind me, that scandal with the news reporter is everywhere." Yu lamented, trying to forget about the snobby reporters who kept reporting it.

"Hey," Yosuke said, trying to have some input in the conversation. "so does that mean that weird room we saw, could it be related to that Yamano lady's death? Now that I think about it, there was that creepy noose hanging from the ceiling." Yosuke let out a yell, shaking his head. "Stop! No more! We gotta stop talking about this. I'm gonna wipe what happened today from my brain. I don't think my poor heart can take anymore."

"Or your bladder." Yu stated. "Did you have to really go to the bathroom?" Yosuke's eyes widened and his hands flew to his crotch, trying to stave off the urge before running off in the other direction, cursing at Yu the whole run.

"I'm not feeling well." Chie said, holding her arms as she trembled. "Let's go home, I wanna lie down and rest." Yu nodded and bid Chie a good trip before turning to Izanagi, who stared down at him impassively as ever.

_Where did you go_?

* * *

By the time Yu had gotten home, Dojima and Nanako were waiting for their bowls of instant ramen to be prepared. Placing the two bags filled with groceries on the table (damn whatever Yosuke had said, that store was expensive), Yu barely registered Dojima's greeting before sitting at the table with the others. His feet ached, and Izanagi had yet to give him a helpful response on where he was while Yu was wandering through the TV.

That sentence was still odd to him, but for now, he was too tired to care.

"Uh…" Dojima began, catching Yu's attention. "Well, I doubt you'd know, but have you heard anything about a student named Saki Konishi?"

"Hanamura said that she wasn't at school, and there's a rumor going around that she was the one who discovered the body." Yu said, rubbing at his eyes. Izanagi, who normally floated in the air, decided to sit cross-legged next to Yu, sharing his exhaustion.

"Oh, I see." Dojima looked down at his bowl of ramen, fiddling with his tie. "To be honest, we got a call from her family. She's disappeared. We've got people looking for her, but she hasn't been found yet. Work just keeps piling up." The older man let out a sigh, and Yu had a feeling that both of them just wanted to sleep and never wake up.

" _And now, more on the cas still casting a shadow over the foggy town of Inaba_." Began the announcer on the news. " _Not long ago, television announcer Mayumi Yamano was found dead in the small town. Up until now, her whereabouts prior to her death had been unknown, but the police investigation has found that she had been staying in the regions famous Amagi Inn_."

_That would explain why Yukiko's leaving early, reporters are probably swarming that place_. Yu sighed, half tempted to brew himself some green tea.  _I have to feel bad for her, if I was in her position I think I would be going nuts right about now._

" _She had apparently been staying there alone. Perhaps she was taking a vacation to recover from her ordeal_?"

Another commentator on screen chimed in enthusiastically. " _Oh, yes, the Amagi Inn! Their hot springs are first-rate. The manager's teenage daughter also works there, and it's rumored that she'll take over the inn this spring. If that happens, she'll be one of the youngest managers on record! I should book another trip there_!"

_And if I see you anywhere near here, I will not hesitate to punch you in the face_. Yu seethed, and thankfully, Izanagi held their temper and did not move to strike down the television.

" _Uh… I-I see. Moving along, it's time for the weather report. The rain has begun to subside, and from now until morning, heavy fog warnings will be in effect in the Inaba region. Visibility will be severely reduced, so please be careful if you plan on driving in the area_."

The news continued, but honestly, Yu couldn't be bothered to listen. His nose twitched, and he sneezed, ignoring the chill that came with it. God, what the hell did that place do to me?

"Are you sick? You're probably still adjusting to the new environment." Dojima asked, getting up from the table and moving to the bathroom near the back door. "I'll get you some cold medicine, and then you can get to bed early, alright?" Yu nodded, even though Dojima couldn't see it, and smiled. Nanako got up and went to the refrigerator, taking the groceries Yu got with her, and then she came back with a glass of orange juice.

"I heard in school that orange juice helps with colds." She said, putting the glass in his hand. "Drink this, okay?" Yu laughed, ruffling the top of Nanako's head as he thanked her. She huffed and crossed her arms, saying that now she would get sick, too, and Yu laughed even harder.


	5. Hung From the Telephone Pole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...wow I'm horrible at updating this. I'm aiming for weekly but I keep forgetting/getting enthralled with other stories that I'm writing (when I should be working on this one).
> 
> Frick I'll aim for weekly but I'm a procrastinating dumbass that will forget again.

**Friday, 4-15-11. Weather: Heavy Fog In the Morning and Rain Throughout the Day**

Yu has decided he hates the rain.

In the city it wasn't too bad, all he had to do was avoid going out on the balcony (which he did regularly, so he wasn't too worried about that) and sprint for any overhangs if he did go out.

Here in Inaba, though, running for an overhang wasn't possible while walking to school on the Samegawa Riverbank. And, since he had given his umbrella to Chie for the time being, he had to use his coat to protect him from the rain. Of course, since he still didn't know the path well enough, he couldn't run to the school in fear of tripping over himself or taking a wrong turn and ending up on the other side of town.

Regardless, his jacket was now ruined, and all the random students passing by with umbrellas was not helping.

"When I looked, I saw three police cars zooming by." Yu paused, turning to his left to see two girls - each having umbrellas - gossiping.

"You live by the police station, don't you? Did you hear anything?"

"I heard some yelling, but nothing more. Total disappointment."

"Geez, you need to pay more attention to stuff like that. How else are we supposed to get the juicy stories?" Sirens sounded nearby, drawing Yu's attention away from the gossip. Feeling water run down his neck, Yu hurried to Yasogami High, hoping that his jacket wasn't completely ruined.

* * *

"Hey, did you see it yesterday?"

"Of course not. What, is that rumor for real?"

"I dunno, but it seems like a lot of people have seen it."  _Ah, yes, more gossip. Just what I needed today._  Yu groaned, adjusting his still soaking wet jacket. After lunch was over, the PA system buzzed to life again, telling everyone to head to the gymnasium. _It probably has to with Saki going missing, or addressing what these guys are talking about._  Izanagi, not enjoying having his bladed feet going through multiple students, decided to sit on the makeshift stage in front of them.

"Yukiko said she' be here after lunch." Chie mumbled in front of him, flicking her phone shut, and then turning around to face him and Yosuke. "I wonder why they're holding a school assembly all of a sudden. Hey, what's wrong, Yosuke?

"Oh, it's nothing." Yosuke said, keeping his arms crossed over his chest and gazing down at the open flip phone in his hand.  _Nothing my ass, you've been staring at that thing for the past ten minutes._

"Everyone, please settle down." Ms. Sofue's voice bounced around the auditorium, and the teenager's attention was brought to the stand in front of them. "The school assembly is about to begin. First, the principal has something to say." Moving aside, an old man with an enormous beard moved to the microphone, clearing his voice before speaking.

"I… regret to say that I have a terrible announcement for all of you. One of our third-year students, Ms. Saki Konishi of Class 3…"  _Knew it, they're going to say she's missing._  "...has passed away."

The auditorium flew into an uproar, various students demanding to know what happened and why. A few of the younger students and the ones that knew Saki well began to audibly sob, and Yosuke froze beside Yu.

"Ms. Konishi was found deceased early this morning. The reasons behind her passing are currently under investigation by the police. If they ask you for your cooperation, I urge you, as students of this school, to provide only the facts." The volume of the students rose again, and the principal quickly demanded for silence. "I have been assured by the faculty that there's been no evidence that bullying was involved in the incident, so mind what you say - not only to the police but to anyone who asks."

"Found dead?" Chie's voice shook. "How could this happen?"

"I'm pretty sure that's what everyone was asking when that Yamano lady was discovered." Yu's head throbbed, a migraine coming on, and the lights above him flickered angrily. Izanagi moved to their companion's side, ignoring their discomfort, and placed a calming hand on Yu's shoulder. The principal's address continued on, regardless of the uproar around him, but all Yu could think of was seeing the Midnight Channel's screen flickering, showing a girl writhing in agony.

* * *

"She died the same way as that announcer, right? That's so creepy." Yu ground his teeth together, ignoring the lingering headache he had and focused on the two rumor loving girls in front of him and Chie. The shorter girl had been escorting him to the nurses office after he told her that his pained expression had come from a migraine, but they had both stopped after Yu insisted they wait for Yosuke, who had stayed in the auditorium saying that "He needed time."

"Well, last time, it was from an antenna, but this time she was hanging from a telephone pole! It's gotta be a serial murder case."

"Someone said the cause of death was some unknown poison."

"Unknown? C'mon, this isn't some sci-fi drama. Oh, by the way, did you hear? Someone saw a girl that looked like Saki on that Midnight Channel thingie! They said she totally looked like she was in pain. Isn't that scary?"

"Haha, sounds like someone had a nightmare. The media's been broadcasting their interviews with her nonstop, so maybe they just had Saki on the brain." Yu coughed loudly, causing the girls to look right at him as he gave them a glare. Looking nervous, the two of them ran off, but they giggled at each other once they had put enough distance between them.

"Sheesh, it's easy to toss around theories if you're not personally involved." Chie looked like she was ready to strangle the two girls, but Yu placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Izanagi's tall form accompanying Yosuke out of the auditorium, and his attention immediately focused on his friend.

"Hey, are you okay enough to get through the day?" Yu asked, but Yosuke ignored his question, an odd amount of vigor behind his actions.

"Did you guys check out the TV last night?"

"Yosuke! Not you too!" Chie stomped her food on the ground, glaring at her friend.

"Just listen for a sec! Something kept bothering me, so, I watched it again, and…" Yosuke turned to his left - Yu was confused for a moment before remembering that he was the only one who could see Izanagi - and stared out the window. "I think the girl on the screen was Saki-senpai." Ignoring the shocked faces in front of him, Yosuke continued. "There's no mistaking it. Senpai looked like… she was writhing in pain, and then she disappeared from the screen."

"What?"

"You heard Senpai's body was found in a similar situation as the announcer's, right? Well, remember that guy you told us about? How he was all excited that his soulmate was the announcer? Maybe, just maybe but, Ms. Yamano might've been on that Midnight Channel before she died, too."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chie questioned, inching closer to Yu. "Hold on, are you saying that people who appear on that TV die?"

"I can't say for sure," Yosuke admitted before turning back to his friends, a determined expression on his face. "But something tells me I can't just dismiss it as coincidence." Chie let out a huff, fiddling with the end of her jacket. "Plus, remember what that bear thing said? How that place was dangerous, and we should leave before the fog clears? It also said that someone's been throwing people in there, and that room with the posters on the wall… It has to have something to do with the announcer's death."

"I mean… don't you think there's some kind of connection there? Couldn't that world in the TV have something to do with Senpai and the announcer's death?" Pausing, Yosuke turned to Yu, looking for some kind of support. "Well? What do you think?"

Yu slowly nodded, finally able to speak clearly without pain slurring his word. "You might be right."

"So it's not just me, huh? If there is a connection, then it's a good bet that the two of them went inside that world. That would explain the posters in that room, which means, if we look around, we might find a place that has something to do with Senpai, too."

"Yosuke, don't tell me…" Chie began, even Yu looked concerned at this point.

"Yeah, I'm thinking about going in again. I want to find out for myself."

"D-Don't do this…" Chie said, grabbing Yosuke's wrist gently. "You should just let the police handle this and-"

"You think we can rely on the police!?" Yosuke yelled, ripping his wrist out of Chie's grip. "They haven't made any progress on the announcer's case. Besides, even if we told them about the world inside the TV, there's no way they're gonna believe us! If I'm completely off-base with this, that's fine, it's just… I need to know why Senpai had to die like this."

"Yosuke…"

"After what I've seen and what I've put together, there's no way I can ignore it now." Lifting his head, Yosuke looked at Yu. "Sorry, but you're the only person who can help me. I'm gonna go get ready. I'll be waiting for you at Junes." Yosuke took off in a sprint, slamming the doors to the outside open and making a sharp right.

"I can kinda understand how he feels," Chie began, her jaw clenched. "But we can't be sure we'll be able to get out safely again."

"That's why I'm going with him." Yu said, ignoring Chie's shocked expression. "Listen, if he goes in alone, then there's no way he can survive. He needs someone else to go with him, and that bear thing did seem to like me, so maybe I can barter with them."

"God, you two are insane." Chie mumbled before moving for the door. "Anyways, let's go to Junes. We can't leave Yosuke alone." Yu nodded and kept pace with Chie, making certain that the short girl never left his sight.

* * *

Yu had thought of a lot of things to expect when he and Chie got to the electronics department of Junes. This was not one of them.

Yosuke stood in front of the TV the three of them had gone into the day prior with a driver in his right hand. He also had rope tied around his waist, and the rest bundled up and hung around his arm. The moment he saw Yu and Chie, his face lit up, acting like this wasn't the strangest thing he had done in the year. "You guys came!"

"We came to stop you, idiot!" Chie said, throwing a quick jab at Yosuke's arm.

"Well, she did, anyways." Yu said, putting his hands in his pockets. "There's no way I'm letting you go in there alone."

"C'mon, you really shouldn't do this. It's too dangerous." Chie continued, glaring at Yosuke. Yu could tell that she cared about the other city boy, despite her rough exterior.

"I know, but we were able to come back once, right? And Yu's agreeing to go with me, so it won't be too bad. If we go in from the same location, maybe we'll meet that bear again."

"'Maybe' isn't good enough!"

"Look, I can't just act like everyone else and pretend this has nothing to do with me."

"That's true, but…"

"What about you?" Yosuke turned to Yu. "Could you just walk away?"

"Normally, yeah, I would." Yu responded before sighing and looking at his shoes. "But this whole murder case… it's just been so weird, and if the TV's involved in it, I'm directly linked to it, too. So, no, I can't leave this alone."

Yosuke let out a sigh of relieve and then smiled. "Yeah, I thought not. I'm glad to know you're that kind of guy." Turning to Chie, Yosuke handed her the extra rope he had on his arm. "Don't worry, I'm not going in without a plan. Chie, I'm leaving you in charge of this. We'll go in with this tied to me, so I want you to hold on to this and wait here."

"Wh-What?" Chie's gaze flicked from the rope to Yosuke and back again. "Then, this is a lifeline? C'mon, wait a sec-!"

"Here, Yu. This is for you. I thought it might be better than going in empty-handed." Yosuke held out the golf club to Yu, who took it with a relaxed grip, examining it thoroughly. Yosuke turned around and took a deep breath, staring at the flat screen with a mix of fear and determination. "Alright, let's go. There's no use wasting any more time. Chie, whatever you do, don't let go of the rope!"

"H-Hey! I said wait!" The two boys paid no attention to Chie's cry as Yu stuck his hand through the screen, allowing Yosuke and him to climb through. Chie quickly moved in front of the TV, expecting the rope to continue going into the screen, except, after a few seconds, the rope stopped moving and went slack. Confused, Chie began to pull at the rope, wondering if Yosuke had just taken a few steps back.

Chie pulled the rope three times and fell to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes.

"See…? I knew this wasn't gonna work." Chie let out a hiccup as she looked at the sawed off end of a rope and smooth, black TV screen.

* * *

Like yesterday, Yu hit the ground hard, unable to figure out how exactly he could angle himself to land correctly on the ground when entering through a TV. The fog, and Yosuke then landing on him and winding him did not help in the slightest.

"Ow…" Yosuke mumbled, pushing himself up. "Huh, the land was softer this time."

"That's because you're on me!" Yu grunted, pushing Yosuke off of him and looking around. "Is this...?"

"Look, this is the same place as last time! So they are connected from place to place!" Yosuke exclaimed, ignoring the oppressive feeling around him.

"Y-You guys? Why'd you come back?" Jumping in surprise, Yu and Yosuke looked up to see the mysterious bear from yesterday walk out of the fog and into their line of sight, their pupils shrunk to near-pinpricks. The pupils abruptly grew and an angry expression crossed the bear's face. "I get it, you're the ones behind this!"

"You're that thing from last time!" Yosuke shouted before grimacing. "Wait, what the hell did you just say?"

"Lately I can tell someone's been throwing people in here; it's making this world more and more messed up. This is the second time you guys came here, and I don't think anyone forced you in." Jumping in the air for a brief moment, the bear shaped their paw into a pointing finger and growled at Yosuke. "That means you're the most suspicious! You guys must be the ones throwing the people in here, rawr!"

"You can't just label us like that." Yu said, snapping his fingers for emphasis, with Yosuke chiming in a moment later.

"What're you talking about, "throwing people in"?"

"Well, that's probably whoever killed Saki-Senpai and Yamano, right?"

"So… someone's throwing people in here intentionally trying to kill them? In that case..."

The bear roared in annoyance, pounding their paw against the ground. "What're you guys mumbling about? Why'd you come here, anyways? It's a one-way door! You can't get out once you're in! Remember how I had to let you guys out?

"Yeah, whatever." Yosuke said, placing his hands on his hips and throwing a smug smile at the bear. "We don't need your help this time! See, this time we have a lifeli-"

"It's cut." Yu stated. Yosuke stopped his speech and looked down at his hand, which held the end of the severed rope.

"H-Hey, you better let us out once we're done investigating here!" Yosuke crossed his arms over his chest and flushed red, looking away from the bear. Yu chuckled as the bear stomped his foot repeatedly.

"I'm the one who wants to investigate! I've lived here for a long time, but it's never been noisy like this till now. Do you have proof? Prove to me you're not throwing people in here!"

"What proof would we show you?" Yu asked, confused at what the bear was getting at.

"See! So it is you guys!"

"For the last time, it's not us, so we've got nothing to prove to you!" Yosuke shouted. "Hey, you better answer our questions. This isn't like last time, when we came by accident, we're dead serious! Listen up, 'cause people have died in our world. Every time the fog appears, a dead body shows up with it. It has to be related to this place somehow! If you know something, tell us!"

"A dead body? Whenever the fog appears? I know that if it's foggy on your side, the fog lifts here. It's really dangerous when the fog lifts, that's when the Shadows get violent." In that moment, it was as if a light bulb lit up over the bear's head, and it smiled. "Ah, I get it."

"Huh? If you get it, then explain it to us, dammit!" Yosuke scratched his head, and Yu realized that he had the same expression on his face when it was math class at Yasogami. "If it's foggy on our side, it isn't in here? Shadows get violent?"

"That's why I said to hurry back! It's dangerous when that happens!" The bear shook its head and folded its arms behind its back. "Okay, no more questions. I know you guys did it, you better stop right now!"

"We've said it before, we haven't done anything!" Yu said, pinching the bridge of his nose. Izanagi was still not present, and since Izanagi had been the one suppressing his headache through the day, it was now returning full force in this odd world.

"I've about had it with you." Yosuke said, taking a few steps towards the bear with a scowl on his face. "Why the hell won't you listen to what we're saying?"

"I-I'm just saying, you might be the culprits." The bear took two steps back, a sheepish expression on its face. "I'm just making sure."

"What? Man, this bear's driving me nuts! What is this place, anyways? It does look like a TV studio, like you said but… could something really being filmed here?" Turning back to the bear, Yosuke began his interrogation again. "Hey, is that weird show being filmed here?"

"Weird show? Filmed?" The bear was trying to see how the words rolled off of his tongue. "What does that mean?"

"Uh… I'm asking if someone's been filming the people that get thrown in here."

"I don't think it understands what you're asking, Yosuke." Yu smirked, finding the bear's confusion a bit endearing.

"This world has always been like this, no one has ever done that 'filming' thing here."

"What do you mean?"

"Only me and Shadows are here, I told you before!"

Yosuke groaned. "We don't know what these Shadow things are, or what you are either, for that matter! You keep telling us to 'prove our innocence,' but you're the most suspicious thing here! Maybe you're the real culprit! And what's with that stupid costume?" Advancing towards the bear, Yosuke reached out and grabbed the bear's head, ignoring the protesting body beneath him. "I'd say it's time you showed your face!"

"Yosuke, I don't think that this is a smart mo-" With an audible pop, the top of the bear's head flew off, scaring Yosuke so much that he flailed and fell down. The bear then waved its arms around and, finding the ear of its head, popped its head right back on, a saddened expression crossing its face.

"Me, the culprit? I wouldn't do such a thing, I just live here. I just want to live here peacefully." Pausing, the bear looked at Yu and Yosuke before smiling. "Okay, I'll believe that you guys aren't the culprits, but I want you to find the real guy who did all of this. You have to stop him. Promise me, or else…" The bear's mouth turned into a fanged grin, and he waggled his finger at the two. "I'm not gonna let you guys outta here."

"Y-You little-!" Yosuke growled, fingers clenched into the fabric of his jacket.

"This can't keep going on, my home and I will be a complete mess! And then, and then, I…" The bear then began to cry - or at least imitate crying, as no tears came from its eyes. Yu grimaced, and Yosuke looked away.

"What're you crying for all of a sudden? Geez, this thing's really weirding me out…" Turning to Yu, Yosuke let out a sigh. "Hey, what should we do?"

_Oh god, is this the mystery the old man was talking about?_  Yu wondered, thinking back to Igors words and grimacing as the bear's crying continued.  _Either way, we don't have any other option. The bear's keeping us here, and unless we want to give Chie a heart attack…_

"You're the only ones I can ask, will you promise me?" The bear mumbled, and Yu let out a sigh.  _Why did I have to be the one with the soft heart?_

"I promise." Yu said, smiling as the bear looked up and began to smile, letting out a quick thank you.

"Damn bear," Yosuke mumbled. "Practically holding a gun to our heads. It's true that we came here to figure things out. So far, we're completely in the dark. Look for the culprit, huh? Bring it on! You got my word, too. Might as well introduce ourselves, I'm Yosuke Hanamura, and this is my buddy Yu Narukami. You got a name?"

"Teddie." Silence followed the bear's - Teddie's - response until Yu doubled over, letting out a wheezy laugh.

"Dude, it's not that funny." Yosuke placed his palm over his face as Yu's laughter continued.

"How- How is it not? The anthropomorphic teddy bear is named  _Teddie_."

"Anyways," Yosuke continued, ignoring his friend's laughter. "How are we supposed to find the culprit in the first place?"

"I dunno, but I know where the last person came in!" Teddie exclaimed, and Yu's laughter soon ceased at Yosuke's response.

"The last person, you mean Saki-Senpai?"

"I mean the person who came in and disappeared last time, I dunno the name. I'll take you there, you might find clues. One thing first, you two should put these on." Teddie reached behind him and, in the palm of his hand, rested two pairs of glasses. Yu took the gray framed ones while Yosuke took the orange framed ones, despite their confusion.

"What're these glasses for?" Yosuke mumbled before he put the glasses on, jumping back in shock when the fog surrounding him practically vanished. Looking to his left, Yu froze and then smiled, vision clearing the same way. "The difference is like night and day. With these on, it's like the fog doesn't exist."

"They'll help you walk through the fog. I've been here for a long time, so you can rely on me!" Teddie's smiled fell into a more sheepish expression. "Uh… but I can only show you where the place is, you guys will have to defend yourselves."

"What happened to relying on you? Th-There better not be any monsters, you understand! We brought weapons, but I mean… They're more for show!"

"The hell? This is a golf club, it could definitely knock you out!" Yu exclaimed, lifting up the driver and waving the head around.

"Well… it isn't the best kind of golf club."

"Wha- This is a driver! Where did you get the club?"

"Er… my garage?" Noticing Yu's deadpan expression, Yosuke started chuckling nervously. "It was from my Dad's bag… and he hasn't played golf in seven years."

"Well, I've got no muscles, so anything is better." Teddie cheerily stated. "Oh, oh! I'll give you guys moral support from a safe distance! How's that sound?"

_Can he really not fight?_  Taking a few steps forward, Yu pushed Teddie's shoulder, only for the bear to land on his back. It was like an overturned tortoise, Teddie's limbs were flailing and he let out a pitiful wail as Yu and Yosuke watched in embarrassment.

* * *

It was creepy to walk around in the odd and distorted world. A constant feeling of oppression hung over Yu, and each breath in was an effort. It was disorienting to breath in and kind of feel the moisture of fog entering, but to not see any fog around him. Not only that, but after he and Yosuke had continued down the path, the fog ridden metal bridge turned into an asphalt road. Details fleshed out every step, the road widened and buildings began crowding the new sidewalk. The sky was lit up with pulsing red and black lines, but the road and buildings were shrouded in a yellow glow.

"What is this place?" Yosuke looked around in awe. "It looks just like the shopping district."

"It does?" Yu asked, trying to peer inside one of the buildings, but the window was completely blocked.

"Well, yeah it does. The north side of it, anyways."

"Some weird places have appeared here recently." Teddie admitted, shifting nervously behind the two humans. "Things are getting so tangled, I dunno what to do."

"By the way, why are you standing so far from us?"

"Remember, no muscles." Yu attempted to joke, but he was getting rather nervous. When he had entered this world yesterday, Yu had assumed afterwards that Izanagi had not entered because they had not gone through the TV in time. Now, however, there was no excuse why they couldn't have entered, and Yu felt on edge without the electricity wielding goliath by his side.

Yosuke's huff of annoyance snapped Yu out of his thoughts. "Man, they really went all out on this, but out of all the places in town, why'd they replicate this one?"

"How should I know?" Teddie commented with a saddened expression. "This is reality for the one who's here."

"As usual, nothing you say makes sense…"

"Not really," Yu replied. "I mean, think about this. Yamano was the first one to enter here, right? The day after, we come in, and there's an apartment with that enka dancer's posters ripped up with a makeshift noose. Then Saki enters, and she ran a liquor store, so the shopping district would probably be a really big part of her life."

"So, then that means we're not far from Saki-senpai's-!" Yosuke's eyes widened, and he turned away from the rest of the group and began running, Yu and Teddie following not too far behind. Soon, the trio ended up near a small house with a tiled roof, two vending machines proudly standing next to a door with the same red and black pulsing lines coming from it. "I knew it! This is the liquor store that Senpai's parent's run. Does this mean she disappeared here? What could've happened?"

As Yosuke began to move to the store, Teddie yelped and jumped back. "Wait a second, th-they're here!"

"What?"

"Shadows, I had a feeling they were going to attack!" Teddie whimpered, moving so that Yu's body blocked his view of the liquor store. The teenagers eyes widened, and they both turned to the liquor store's morphed entrance.

The lines wavered, and pushing out of the odd light was a blue mask. It made a disgusting noise plopped to the ground, a second one soon following. The sludge pulsed, and a slimy body with two long arms pulled itself up from the ground and gurgled at the group. Yosuke scrambled back, tripping and falling on the curb, as he watched the sludge jump into the air and curl into itself, forming a large ball with a tongue lolling out of it's human-like mouth.

Yu's temple throbbed, his ears rung, and he doubled over, groaning in pain. All the noise around him faded away, and a voice rung in his mind.

**I am thou, thou art I.**

**The time has come, open thine eyes and call forth what is within!**

The link that he had with Izanagi shuddered and aligned itself properly. Yu smiled.

"Per… son… a."

Blue flames surrounded his body, and floating above his hand was a card. A silhouette of a man with a hat traveling over a hill with a bindle was being followed by a dog was depicted. In the trimming at the bottom was the number  **0**. Curling his hand into a fist, the flames grew stronger, and Yu's figure was no longer visible.

It's like the dream! Yu cheered inwardly as his Yasogami High uniform was replaced by Izanagi's outfit, and a metal mask slammed over his head. A Naginata appeared out of the blue flames, and rested comfortably in Yu's hands, and the flames dissipated to nothing, allowing lightning to jump off of Yu's body instead. Teddie and Yosuke looked at their changed friend in shock, and soon moved out of the way as the two Shadows charged at him.

Yu jumped, clearing the - rather disturbing - Shadows and guarded Yosuke, who still had yet to stand up. "Stay calm and listen." Teddie shouted from behind a vending machine. "Some Shadows have weaknesses, and if you can pinpoint that weakness and take advantage of it, the battle will be a lot easier! I can tell this one has a weakness too!"

_So these are Shadows, huh?_  "You mind telling me what the weakness is?"

"I haven't fought Shadows before, so you'll have to try stuff out and see what works!"  _Fair enough. Well, Izanagi can control electricity, so maybe I can try-_

The Shadow to the left of Yu rushed forward, snapping Yu out of his reverie as its teeth chomped down on his left arm. Letting out a shout of pain, Yu lifted his Naginata and sliced right down the jawline of it's mouth, splitting it in two and ending its short life. The other Shadow gurgled and charged, tensing the muscles in its tongue to lick Yu. The transformed boy, on the other hand, was not going to let that happen, and threw out his arms, shouting "Zio!" as a bolt of lightning struck the Shadow and fried it to a crisp.

Yu smiled at the ashes of the dead Shadows rose and dissolved into the air, a burst of energy pulsing through him. His transformation burst into small blue shards and disappeared, returning him to normal. Yosuke, on the other hand, had the largest grin on his face as he ran up to Yu, shaking his shoulder harshly. "Whoa, that was awesome! What'd you do? Did I hear you say 'persona'? Hey, do you think I can do it too?"

"Calm down Yosuke, you're troubling Sensei!" Teddie walked over to the two high schoolers with a small grin on his face, ignoring Yu's confused expression.  _Since when did I become his sensei?_  "Gosh almighty, you're amazing, Sensei! I am one impressed bear! I can't believe you were hiding such an amazing power, no wonder the Shadows were scared of you."

"Doesn't exactly feel like they were scared." Yu muttered, rubbing the arm that the Shadow bit. He expected it not to hurt, or for the injury to be transported to Izanagi, but now he was expecting large bite marks to be present under his jacket. "Hey, Teddie, do the Shadows have names?"

"Mhm! Those guys were called 'Lying Hableries'." Teddie let out a sharp gasp and began to hop in place. "Are you the one who's able to bring people into this world?" Yu nodded, and the bear began to giggle insanely. "That's what I thought! This is really something; don't you think so, Yosuke?"

The brunette teen angrily shoved the bear on his back, only for him to act like a punching back and come right back on to his feet. "Dude, you call him Sensei and then don't show me any respect?"

"Calm down Yosuke, I'm certain he'll call you Sensei after you kick a Shadow's ass." Yu joked, only to meet the concerned face of his friend.

"Dude, you okay? You look  _really_  pale."

"Huh?"  _Now that he mentions it, I feel exhausted…_  "I'll be fine, for now. Maybe we should head back, I don't think staying here for a long time is a good thing."

"No way, we're still investigating!" Yosuke exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air and moving to the liquor store's door, Yu and Teddie only a step behind. "Man, I wonder what could have happened to Senpai here…"

**_"I wish Junes would go under…"_**  All three boys jumped in surprise and looked around for the source of the voice. A few seconds later, the conversation continued, and they realized that there was no definite source, it was just echoing _around_ them.

**_"It's all because of that store."_ **

**_"Oh, I heard that Konishi-san's daughter is working there."_**  Yosuke flinched harshly beside Yu, who winced as he realized that Yosuke was basically being taunted with two difficult subjects.

**_"Oh my, how could she, with her family's business suffering like it is?"_ **

**_"I heard their sales have gone downhill because of Junes."_ **

"Stop it!" Yosuke protested, but his shout was drowned out by the echoing voices and the chatter accompanying them.

**_"That poor father, to have his own daughter working for the enemy."_ **

**_"What a troublesome child…"_ **

"Hey, hey Ted!" Yosuke shouted after the remnants of the voices faded away. "You said that this place is reality for those that are here, right? So, does that mean this was Senpai's reality when she wandered in here?"

"I only know about what's over here." Teddie responded.

"Fine, whatever's going on here… We'll find out ourselves!" Yosuke ran through the Konishi liquor store's 'door,' ignoring Yu's shout for him to wait as he charged into the liquor store blindly.

* * *

Yu had to cover his ears after entering the shop. The silence of the streets was replaced with loud chatter and shuffling feet, voices from random people beginning to echo around them. "Dammit, not again!" Yosuke yelled, just as a man's booming voice caused the walls around them to shake.

**_"Saki, how many times do I have to tell you? You know what the neighbors say about you, right? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You're the eldest daughter of a family who's owned this store for generations! Is it the money, or did you meet some guy there? Just tell me why you have to work there, of all places!"_ **

"I can't believe this…" Yosuke's quiet voice broke the illusion, the noises around them fading to nothing instantly. "She seemed like she had fun at work, she never said anything like this to me. You're telling me this was how Senpai really saw things?"

Moving around, Yu's eyes saw a pair of rather large scissors on the table next to a cut up photograph. Yosuke, who was on his left, saw the photo and took it with shaking hands. "This is the photo we took the other day with the other part-timers at Junes, why's it cut up like this?" Yu could only stare at the torn up photo with all the part timer's faces cut out, except Saki and Yosuke, that is.

**_"I… never had the chance to say it…"_**  Yu and Yosuke both froze as an eerily familiar voice began to echo around them. This time, Yu could hear the humming of the refrigerator fans while she spoke, but he kept silent out of respect.  ** _"I always wanted to tell Hana-chan…"_**

**_"...that he was a real pain in the ass."_**  Yosuke's arms fell to his side, photo fluttering out of his hand as he stared wide eyed at eh barrels of liquor stacked on top of each other behind the counter. ** _"I was nice to him just because he was the store manager's son, that's all, but he takes it completely the wrong way and gets all enthusiastic. What a dip."_**

**_"Who cares about Junes, anyway? Because of that store, our business is ruined, my parents hate me, and the neighbors talk behind my back. I wish everything would just disappear."_**  Yu's grip tightened around the golf club's handle, and he was barely holding back the urge to slam it down on the counter out of rage.

"It's a lie, this can't be." Yosuke's bottom lip trembled. "Senpai's not like that!"

**_"It's so sad, I feel so sorry for myself, boo hoo."_**  A twisted voice came from behind the two boys, fake sniffles interrupting it's taunt at Yosuke. Yu almost immediately became panicked, heart thrumming like it was about to burst out of his chest. Yu and Yosuke turned around slowly, only to both stop dead when they saw…  _it_.

**_"Actually, I'm the one who thinks everything's a pain in the ass."_**  A near mirror image of Yosuke began to cackle madly at the boy's shocked expressions. The only difference between the Yosukes was that the one standing farthest away had a black aura surrounding him, the twisted voice, and the searing yellow eyes. Teddie, who had been standing by the doors ever since the duo entered, moved to Yu's side. When he saw the doppelganger, his pupils shrunk, and he took two large steps back.

"Who are you?" Yosuke demanded, taking a brave step towards his 'twin.' "I wouldn't think that!"

**_"Yeah, right. How long are you going to keep deluding yourself? Screw the shopping district, and Junes too! You're sick of everything, especially living out in the sticks!"_ **

"What're you saying? That's not true, I-"

**_"You put on a good show of being carefree and happy-go-lucky 'cause you're so terrified of being all alone. The more the merrier, right? You've gotta be surrounded by people to block out the pain of isolation. And what's this about checking out this world for Saki-senpai's sake? Hah! I know the real reason you came snooping."_ **

"Stop it!"

"Yosuke, get away from it!" Yu shouted, his link with Izanagi was strong and ready to be activated again if need be it.

The thing (Shadow. Yu's mind whispered the word like it was a taboo, it's his Shadow) cackled and continued.  ** _"Why so panicked? I thought I was just spouting bullshit! Or maybe I do know everything you're thinking!"_**

**_"And why's that? Because I am you! You just came because you thought it sounded like a good time! What else is there to do out in this shithole? A world inside the TV, now that's exciting! You didn't have a single other reason for coming here, did you?"_ **

"That's not true. Stop, stop it!"

**_"You're just trying to act like a big shot. If all went well, hey, maybe you could even be a hero! And that Senpai you were so sweet on? Her death was the perfect excuse!"_ **

"That's not true! What are you, who are you?"

**_"I already told ya."_** The Shadow made a mocking bow, headphones hanging crookedly from its neck.  ** _"I'm_**   ** _you, your Shadow, there's nothing I don't know about you!"_**

"Screw that! I don't know you!" Yosuke's voice rose, hands clenched into fists, and his shout echoed throughout the store. "You can't be me, you son of a bitch!"

For a moment, it seemed like that was it. Silence hung in the air, and Yu desperately hoped that Yosuke's declaration would be all it would take to make that thing turn its tail and run. That is, until it began to chuckle - madly, ecstatically - and the aura around it that had looked so calm before rose and shimmered to a fever pitch.  ** _"That's right! Say it again!"_**

Yosuke, his previous confidence drained, moved away from the doppelganger, and repeated what he said before. "You're not me, you're nothing like me!"

Yu crouched down, moving the staff of the driver until it was blocking his chest as the Shadow maniacally laughed. Teddie's eyes narrowed and he too got in an odd fighting position. To Yu, it looked more like he was about to tackle someone and hug them to death.

**_"Yeah, that's right, I am me now. I'm not you anymore, see?"_**  The black aura surrounded it, hiding it from sight, and Yosuke collapsed. Yu rushed over to his friend just as two frog-like legs slammed down on either side of him. A large frog-like creature with a yellow toothy grin leered down at Yu and Teddie, while the upper body of a human resided above. Its skin was pitch-black in color, with large yellow gloves covering its hands, a red scarf covering its neck, and yellow stars for eyes. Yu summoned Izanagi, the process from earlier repeating itself, and jumped in the air, Naginata gleaming in the dim light as the gargantuan shadow laughed insanely.


	6. Death to the Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SHIT AT POSTING CHAPTERS WITH A SET SCHEDULE I'M SORRY

**_"I am a shadow, the true self. I'll crush everything that bores me, starting with you! "_**  Shadow Yosuke bellowed as it caught Yu's blade between its hands. Shadow Yosuke's lower half reared up and slammed them onto the ground, a large gust of green wind throwing Yu into a tower of liquor-filled barrels.  ** _"How long can you survive this?"_**  With a grunt, Yu shoved the barrels off of him and jumped into the air, hovering as he observed his foe.

"This one's much stronger than the last type! Be careful!" Teddie shouted as he stayed near Yosuke, who was curled into a ball and clawing at his hair, shaking every few seconds. Teddie could hear his new friend muttering "No, no, no." over and over, but he had no idea on how to help.

Despite the twisted Konishi liquor store being much larger on the inside, the Shadow's height was about halfway to the ceiling - around twenty five feet tall. Because of this, Yu had thought that the Shadow would have a difficult time maneuvering, or that it would be slow, but the opposite was true. It was incredibly quick, and it certainly didn't care about anything that got crushed under its massive feet. Thankfully, its attention wasn't on Yosuke or Teddie, but that could change in a few seconds if Yu didn't act soon.

With a flick of his wrist, Yu struck the Shadow with a Zio spell. It let out a screech of pain and flew back into the wall, a large crack appearing as it fell to the ground, crushing its human half beneath its weight. Yu huffed and flew down, grabbing his Naginata as he charged at the Shadow, swinging the blade in a large arc.

Shadow Yosuke let out a yell as the blade cut through one of its front legs, the limb disappearing in an explosion of black and red dust.  ** _"That's not gonna work!"_**  Despite the newly amputated limb, the shadow managed to stand up and swing at Yu, who barely got the Naginata in place to block the attack.  ** _"No matter who I meet and what I say, I'll always be 'The Junes Prince!'"_**  It roared in rage, turning its head to Yosuke. " ** _I'll always just be used as a tool for discounts, and nothing will change! No matter how far I run, that damn store will always be attached to me by my god damn hip!"_**

"Zio!" Yu sent another lightning bolt at the Shadow, who held its tongue when its remaining legs buckled. It let out a sad chuckle and slumped over, staring at Yosuke, who was still hiding his face.

**_"You're so done with everyone, with everything really! What about your old man, huh? Throws around slurs not knowing how much they burn when they reach your ears. You wish he was dead; after all, it_**   ** _would mean that you wouldn't have to stay in this shithole."_**  The Shadow let out another roar of pain as Izanagi's blade sliced through its remaining front leg, forcing it to use the front of its body to stand. The human upper body threw its hands down and slapped Yu to the ground, creating a crater from the impact. The teen groaned, slowly climbing to his feet and panting harshly. The shadow's fanged mouth opened, a swirling green vortex churning in the void. Yu grunted and bent his legs and moved into a guarding position.

"Shut up!" Shadow Yosuke's mouth closed and it turned to face Yosuke, who was glaring at his shadow with a tear-streaked face. "You don't know anything!" The Shadow stared at its human counterpart before breaking into a hysterical laughing fit.

**_"_** **I** ** _don't know anything?"_**  It choked out in between its giggles.  ** _"That's a riot! You still don't believe anything after what you've witnessed? Get it through your thick skull that I. Am. Yo-!"_**  A choked sound escaped its lips, tilting its head down to stare at the Naginata blade that had pierced its chest. Its two hind legs went limp, and its arms fell to its side, letting out a few choked noises before completely breaking into red and black particles. Yu floated in the air, mind aching from just pure exhaustion that hummed from his very core. He lost his focus, plummeting to the ground as a brilliant flash of blue surrounded him and his head smashed into the ground.

* * *

"...up!" Yu's fingers twitched and his eyes opened. The world was a massive blur right now, and his head hurt like hell, but he couldn't ignore his shoulder being shaken frantically. Slowly but surely, his eyes focused and Teddie's alarmed cries for Yu to wake up finally registered. With slow movements, he brushed off Teddie's palm and managed to get on his hands and knees without vomiting. A groan farther away from him signified where Yosuke was, and Teddie bounced onto his feet and rushed to the other boy's side in obvious panic.

_What happened?_ Yu rubbed the back of head only to flinch when he ran over a sensitive area. Pulling his hand back into his vision, Yu could feel his heart freeze when he saw his pale skin covered in blood.

And then the memories of the fight came back.

Ignoring his exhaustion and the pain in his limbs (How many injuries did he have? Are there any broken bones? Does he have to go to the hospital?) Yu rushed to Yosuke's side just as Teddie helped the other teen to his feet.

"Y-Yeah." Yosuke said, possibly answering one of Teddie's rapid-fire questions getting shot at him. His attention turned to Yu, and his eyes promptly widened when he noticed his friend's injuries. "What… happened?"

"That happened." Yu gestured behind Yosuke, who turned around and stared at his standing doppelganger. The Shadow didn't say anything, it just stared at the trio with its bright yellow eyes, and Yosuke felt a chill going down his spine. "You- You're not me."

"That thing came from you, Yosuke. You have to admit it, or it'll go berserk again." Teddie said, his pupils now cut in half, trying to show a saddened expression. Yu coughed and, using the golf club that had somehow remained in his hands, began to lean on it heavily, unable to fully support his weight. Yosuke turned around and grimaced, but Yu couldn't tell if it was because he was scared for his health, or if it was because the Shadow that had caused all this harm had come from him.

"You're still yourself, Yosuke." Yu said, ignoring that his head really hurt at the moment. "Accepting it doesn't change anything about you."

"Myself…" Yosuke mumbled. "Dammit, it hurts to face yourself." He took a deep breath in, closed his hands into fists, and walked up to his Shadow. "I knew it wasn't lying, but I was so ashamed that I didn't want to admit it. You're me, and I'm you. When you get down to it, all of this is me."

Yosuke's Shadow, which up until this point had a stony expression, gave a small smile and a nod. The dark aura surrounding it flickered and became a soft blue, its body shifting and rising above the ground. A much taller humanoid figure took its place, dressed in a pure white suit with camouflage-themed gloves and pant legs with a long red scarf fluttering in a non-existent breeze. From its chest was the same large, fanged grin that was present on the shadow, and it's head was completely black with two mouse-like ears on top with a red slit on each of them. On the palms of its hands and in place of its eyes were two shurikens. It burst into a blue light and a card spun to the ground, floating briefly in front of Yosuke before it, too disappeared in a blue light.

"This is my Persona." Yosuke stated before he sat down on the ground, letting out a 'huff' and leaning back. Teddie and Yu immediately rushed to the other, who let out a dry chuckle at their concern. "When we heard Senpai's voice, I wonder if that was something Senpai had been keeping deep down inside. "He was a real pain in the ass," huh? What a way to find out. Geez, this is so embarrassing." Yu let out a sigh of relief and slumped to the ground next to Yosuke, who immediately forgot his exhaustion after seeing the nasty cut on Yu's head. "Crap, you are really banged up! Hold on, the store has a medical kit in here for emergencies, I'll go and grab it." Yu watched as Yosuke rushed off to the back of the store, Teddie walking with him to see the stuff inside the store's back room. The silver haired teen couldn't help but smile.

It had been too long since he had someone that cared about him, and it felt  _good_.

* * *

After an unusually large amount of fussing from Yosuke, and Teddie interjecting every few seconds to say that Yosuke had to stop hurting his sensei, Yu's head was bandaged up and cleaned with rubbing alcohol and napkins. The walk back was torturous for both boys, as they were exhausted from the past hour of walking, fighting, and mental strain. Yu had a slightly obvious limp with his right leg, which had also been patched up, so he used the golf club as a walking stick as to not make the injury worse.

After about fifteen minutes of walking, the trio had made it back to the original twisted stage, and the foreboding silence was broken by Yosuke. "Hey, Teddie. You said that this place is reality for people who enter, right? So that shopping district, and the weird room we saw before, did they exist because the ones who died entered this world, and it became their reality?" Noticing Teddie's confused expression, Yosuke stopped and reevaluated his word choice. "I guess what I'm trying to ask is, did those places for because of the people who entered this world?"

"I don't know, it's never happened before. But that's probably where they were when the Shadows attacked them." Teddie replied, shuffling his feet.

"It was the same for them?" Yu questioned. He leaned on the golf club a bit more as his head let out an annoyed throb. Thinking was kind of difficult with a head injury, but screw it, he was going to tough this out until he got home and then would go straight to bed. He could probably get the homework done in the morning, or simply say to the teachers that he was busy unpacking and couldn't get it done (Morooka probably wouldn't buy it, but god, right now he _really_ doesn't care).

"The fog does lift here sometimes; the Shadows get really violent then. I always get so scared. I have to hide when it happens. I sensed people here twice before, but both of them disappeared after the fog lifted."

"So let's get this straight…" Yosuke said, and Yu noticed that he was a few shades paler than he was at the store. "Senpai and that Yamano lady were thrown in here, and since they couldn't get out, they wandered around. After a while, that Shadow thing came out of them. The fog cleared, it went berserk, and it ended up killing them. So if I'd been here until the fog cleared, I would have been in much deeper trouble?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. You were lucky; Sensei and I were here with you."

"Dammit." Yosuke swore, hanging his head. "Senpai and that announcer… they were stuck here all alone, no one could save them."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up about it." Yu said. "We couldn't have known at the time, and even if we  _did_ know, we couldn't have fought the Shadows and gotten out of here alive."

"They disappeared when the fog lifted, but they were safe before that! No Shadows attacked them. They attacked us though…" Teddie said, trying to lift Yosuke's mood. "Maybe they're keeping a close eye on us, they might see people who investigate this place as enemies. It'll be dangerous, but we might be able to fight them! We might save people!"

Yu and Yosuke immediately perked up after that, the brown haired teen's eyes lighting up with hope. "Are you saying, if anyone else gets thrown in here, we can save them before they disappear? Like how you guys just saved me?"

"We won't know unless we try." Yu smiled at Yosuke, who kept a neutral expression on his face.

"Anyways, we need to catch the one who's throwing people in here and make him stop. Yeah, I'm finally starting to understand what's going on."

"Um…" Teddie piped in, putting his arms behind his back. "Can I ask something too? If Shadows are born from humans, what was Teddie born from?"

"You don't even know where you came from? How should we know?" Yosuke yelled, his answer dwarfing Yu's small shrug.

"I know some things - mostly about this world, but I don't know anything about myself. To be honest, I never thought about it until now."

"Are you serious? No wonder we couldn't get a straight answer out of you."

"Will you guys come back here?" Teddie asked.

"We made a promise, right?" Yu replied, smiling down at the bear, who gave a small smile back.

"You'll keep your word?"

"Well, you're the one who said you weren't letting us out unless we do." Yosuke joked, lightly tapping the side of Teddie's head with his elbow. The bear wobbled on his left foot, arms flailing before he steadied himself, humming in annoyance.

"Okay, I'll let you out, but there's one thing. I'll be waiting for you guys here. You need to come in from the same place every time so we can meet up."

"The TV at Junes?" Yu asked, tilting his head and wincing as the blood flow shifted, noticing that Yosuke had flinched.

"You could come in from somewhere else, but then you won't end up here. You might show up somewhere I couldn't get to you. Then you'd be do-omed." Yosuke shook his head at Teddie's antics while Yu gave a tired smile. "Got it?"

"Well, pretty much. Alright, can you show us the way out now?" Yosuke said, and Yu gave a thumbs up to answer Teddie. The bear smiled and nodded, tapping his foot on the ground twice and a stack of three TVs appeared out of smoke to his right.

"Cool. First we need to make sure there aren't any employees milling around out there-!" Yosuke was roughly shoved into the TV by Teddie, who was pushing both teens into the TV despite their protests for the bear to wait. Yu simply watched as the other TV screen came closer, and smirked as Yosuke cursed the bear's existence only a few inches behind him as they collided into the screen.

* * *

Chie Satonaka knows many things about herself. She knows she has a short temper, she knows she loves beef (any kind of meat, really), and she knows that if anything happened to her friends, she would freak out.

Which is why, when Yu and Yosuke came out of the TV groaning in pain, she was so relieved. She was so relieved that she hadn't noticed that Yu had a liberal amount of bandages on his head and body, or that Yosuke was really pale and did not look like he was healthy at all.

She was mad, but she was so  _relieved_  that these two idiots were  _alive_  and standing in front of her when they both could have died  _horribly_  in a world that only she knew about.

So that's why, when Yosuke so noncommittally shrugged off her sobbing as if they weren't gone for nearly  _four hours and were facing death in the face_ , she blew up. She threw the severed rope in Yosuke's face, happy when it made a satisfying smack and the idiot fell down (it was then she noticed that they were wearing glasses, but those details do not register when you are so made you are seeing red on the edges of your vision).

"The nerve of you guys! You are such  _morons_! I can't believe this! You guys suck!" She wiped the tears streaks off of her face, despite her continuing tears and yelling. "The rope got cut off, I had no idea what to do, I was so  _worried_ \- I mean scared stiff,  _dammit_! I hate you both!" She screamed, half tempted to slap Yu if it weren't for the dead terrified look in his eyes. She let out a final yell of all the pent up emotions she'd been holding back for the past hours before sprinting off, bumping into other people as she ran out the door.

She could care less about what happened to Yu and Yosuke, she was so angry at them that the world could have ended and she'd be happy just because those two would be corpses.

* * *

Yu was so happy that Junes had a section of the store with umbrellas, because if they didn't, the walk home would have been torture. He could deal with the morning walk, because the walk to school was relatively short from his current home. The walk from Junes, however, takes nearly another half hour. He wasn't getting home until eight or later, it was going to get dark, and coming home in the dark and soaked from head to toe wasn't exactly pleasant. Especially when you feel like you were hit by a freight train and your head honestly feels like it's scrambled eggs.

Despite all of this, Yu still notices Yukiko, who is dressed in a kimono under a pagoda by the riverbank. She did have an umbrella (thank god, because Yu did not want to lend another one out), but Yu still wanted to take a break because he was tired and he would not be able to make the walk home without stopping at least once.

"Are you surprised to see me dressed this way? My parents sent me out on an errand." Yukiko said, attempting to be friendly with Y "Um… are you getting used to your new town and school?"

"I like it here." Granted, the murders and alternate worlds are less than desired, but I've been having a pretty decent time here… except for right now.

"Really? It must be difficult, moving to a place you know nothing about."

"Yeah, but I like it. I mean, it's not as popular or crowded. No one knows me, and I don't know anyone here… It's nice."

"Well, I've never been out of Inaba, so I wouldn't know what it's like to transfer to a new school."

"After you transfer as many times I have, you get used to it."

"Oh, are you getting along with Chie? I mean, I always leave early, so…"

"Hey, you can't be blamed for it. Stuff's out of your control." Yu paused for a bit thinking over his answer. "We're getting along."

"I'm glad to hear that. Chie's very supportive, you know. It's always her who gives me the little extra push I need. We had homeroom together last year too, and I still remember how we'd cut class sometimes." Yukiko smiled with a nostalgic expression on her face. "Oh, I should get going. I need to make tomorrow's arrangements with our head chef. Our inn can't function without me right now." Yu nodded as the girl stood up, pushing out her umbrella and holding it over her shoulder.

"Hey, get home safe, alright?" Yu said, noticing Yukiko wince as she walked in the direction he had come from. He gently placed a hand on the bandage over his head, wondering why the bandages were nigh-invisible to everyone but him and Yosuke.

* * *

If Yu could be glad about one thing concerning Dojima's job, it meant that he got home late. It gave him plenty time to check on his injuries and see how they were faring, and to re-apply the bandages. Nanako mentioned, as he was putting on water for his tea (which wouldn't be finished for a while now) that he was late, and Yu almost immediately fell to his knees in relief.

The cuts and bruises on his legs hadn't changed much, but considering the amount of blood on the bandages, they had opened up several times on his walk home, only slowing down the healing process. The cut on his head, however, was now only a small red line, and it barely hurt to touch the surrounding skin. It had head much faster than it should be possible, and Yu could only smile and glance at Izanagi, who had managed to sit down in the small tub. After cleaning and bandaging his wounds again, Yu went back downstairs, made his tea, and sat with Nanako by the television. A small song rang through the speakers, and Yu rolled his eyes as the announcer began to 'update' the public on the murders in Inaba.

_"At around 7:00 AM, local high school student Saki Konishi was found dead in Inaba's residential area. Since the body was positioned similarly to the last victim, and since Ms. Konishi was the one who discovered that body, police are proceeding under the assumption that this may be a serial murder case related to the death of Mayumi Yamano. The coroner's report has established Ms. Konishi's time of death at around 1:00 AM last night. The body went unnoticed until this morning as a result of the heavy fog blanketing the area."_

"Another incident." Nanako sighed and looked away from the TV, hanging her head. "Dad won't be coming home tonight."

"Are you worried about him?" Yu asked, half tempted to turn of the TV. If it weren't for the fact that he needed to know what the weather would be like tomorrow, he would have turned it off.

"Uh-huh, but that's how it goes. He's a detective, so he's really busy."

_"...Amagi Inn, located upstream of Samegawa River, is the town's oldest historical landmark."_  Yu sighed in relief as the report moved away from the murder mystery.  _"Vacationers are known to travel surprising distances in order to visit its open-air, radium-rich hot springs."_

_"After the incident with Ms. Yamano, the manager has stepped aside, leaving her daughter Yukiko to fill her shoes."_  Yu nearly spat out his tea when the camera changed to Yukiko, who was wearing the same kimono as earlier.  _"In other words, she's a manager who's still in high school. Now that has a nice ring to it, let's see if we can interview her. Excuse me!"_

_Say one perverted thing, asshole,_  Yu seethed as the reporter and cameraman got closer to his friend.  _And I will make certain this is the last report you do._

_"Hm? Um, are you speaking to me?"_  Yukiko asked

_"We've heard that you're the new manager. Is it true you're still in high school?"_  The reporter shoved the microphone into Yukiko's face, causing her to jump back.

_"Oh, well, I'm only filling in temporarily."_

_"Someday, though. That aside, wow! You're looking gorgeous in that kimono; you must have had a lot of_   _male visitors."_  Yu swears that he saw a crack form on his cup from how hard he was clenching it. Izanagi, thank god, did not move to stab the TV, but electricity still jumped off of their body sporadically.

_"Huh? No, um…"_  as the reporter's rambling went further and further off topic, Yu had to close his eyes and block out the report completely. Yu mentally sighed in relief as Nanako said that the report was boring and that she needed to do the dishes. Yu took the opportunity to help, turning off the TV, and trying to forget about what the reporter said. He could find him and break his legs in the morning.

* * *

It was still raining at 11:45. Dojima had still not arrived home yet, but Nanako had been put to bed and Yu had managed to get his homework done. Izanagi stared out the window, but what he was looking for was unknown to Yu.

At 11:55, after Yu had checked his wounds - now they were nearly gone - and dressed for bed, he wondered if someone would appear on the TV again. Taking a deep breath, he crawled out from under his covers and stood front of it, listening to the end of the night weather report. Nanako had wanted to go to bed early, but the program hadn't ended by the time he got to bed.

_"In other Inaba-related news, meteorologists are predicting heavy fog throughout the year." The weather announcer cheerful reported. "The region has seen an abnormal amount of fog over the past few years, and the cause of the climate change is unknown. Whatever the reason, residents of the Inaba area should be extra careful. Our broadcast tonight was extended to bring you up-to date news on the incident in Inaba. The time is now midnight."_  And with that, Yu turned off the TV and waited.

The lights flickered and dimmed, and the black screen lit up with static and white noise. Yu simply stared as a silhouette of a human appeared. Based on their body, Yu could tell it was a female and that the person was wearing a kimono, but other than that, there was nothing to go off of. Kimonos during this time of year were not commonly seen, but most families do have one, and just seeing a silhouette of a girl with one on isn't a lot of information.

What happens if I touch it? Very cautiously, Yu placed his hand on the TV screen only to have it slowly dissolve through. Izanagi had grabbed the back of his shirt, making certain that he had a tight grip as Yu's upper arm went into the TV. Not grabbing anything, Yu could only watch as the silhouette disappeared. Taking his hand out of the TV, Yu let out a sigh and crawled back to bed, too tired to properly think about what he saw, and falling unconscious soon after his head hit the pillow.

Yu heard the humming of an engine, could feel the velvet underneath his hands, and his eyes flew open. His body was still in a lethargic state, limbs hard to move, but he recognized the interior of limousine from his dream prior to arriving in Inaba. The Velvet Room still had its two occupants - Igor and Margaret, if he remembered their names correctly - and nothing had changed from his previous visit.

"Welcome." Igor said, this time, his voice causing shivers to travel down his spine. His connection with Izanagi was not present, and he could not see where the persona was. "Do not be alarmed, you are fast asleep in the real world. I have summoned you within your dreams."

"You say that like it's a regular thing." Yu said back, feigning confidence as he tried to move his hands onto his lap. The much older man chuckled in response, eyes closing as a happy expression crossed his face.

"Ah yes, it is something I do not do often, but I do it often enough for it to be 'normal.'" Igor let out another chuckle as Margaret took up the conversation.

"This is a space that only those who have, in one way or another, entered into a contract may enter. In your daily life, you subconsciously heard the call to awaken, and you chose to follow the destiny of your inner voice, thereby enacting your glorious awakening to your power."  _So the promise I made to Teddie… that's how I changed with Izanagi?_

"Hold onto this." Igor stated, and a brilliant blue flame burst in front of Yu. A key with a mask depicted on the end of it fell onto Yu's lap. Finally wrangling control of his limbs, Yu picked up the key and held it in his fist. "From this night forth, you are our guest in this Velvet Room. Your destiny will require you to hone your power, and for that, you will inevitably require our help. There is but one price for this assistance, you must abide by your contract assume responsibility for all decisions you make."

_Simple enough._  "I understand."

"Very well. The Persona you have acquired, it is a side of you that shows itself when you face the world around you. Perhaps you can think of it as... a facade of determination you wear to face various difficulties in life. Your Persona ability, however, is that of the wild card. Compared to that of others, it is very special. It is like the number zero; empty, yet holding infinite potential within itself."

"Special?" Margaret's lips quirked up at Yu's question as Igor began to speak again.

"The Persona ability is the power to control one's own heart, and the heart is strengthened through bonds. As you form bonds by becoming involved with others, your own Social Links will gradually develop. The power of these Social Links is what will determine your Persona's abilities."

"Control one's heart?"  _Did he mean my actual heart, or my soul? I thought I controlled it already…_

"Social Links are necessary for more than strengthening your Persona." Margaret said. "At times, they will help light the way to the truth you are searching for."

"Where will your awakened power of the wild card take you? I look forward to traveling the road of your destiny together." Igor let out an eerie chuckle, giving a small wave to Yu. His eyelids felt heavy, and he found that it became harder and harder to keep himself lucid. "'Til we meet again."

* * *

Yosuke wasn't expecting to have a decent sleep after everything that happened. He had no dreams or nightmares, despite all the craziness that had happened earlier in the day. His mother, probably the only one in the house when he got home, had ordered him to bed immediately after he finished his dinner.

"You're very pale, and you look like you collapse any second! It's a miracle you got home." She fretted, ushering her son up the stairs and into his room, continuing to say that she would 'deal with his father' and clean up dinner.

Regardless, Yosuke felt like he could run a marathon when he woke up, his brain buzzing with the possibilities of what the Midnight Channel had shown last night. Disobeying his mother wasn't a common thing in the Hanamura household, and it was even less common for him to disobey his father, but he had stayed up and watched it.

A girl and a kimono was all he and Yu had to go off of, but honestly he could care less because he was doing something to actually help people. He was preventing a murderer from killing, and honestly, he felt like a million bucks. Yosuke wasn't sore from walking all that time in the TV world, he felt like he could run to school instead of taking his bike (which was ridiculous no matter what, because it was probably a twenty minute run there). He opened his eyes, happy and willing to face Morooka head on with all of his uncompleted homework.

And then he froze as he saw a lumbering six foot tall figure floating above his bed, casually flipping through one of his 'hidden' magazines. It turned its cartoony, mouse-like head to Yosuke and waved like this was a normal thing.

Yosuke's screams could have broken glass.


	7. A New Show to Entertain the Masses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahaha... guess who forgot about the Ao3 version of this? I'm just going to mass-post the next... six chapters and hope you'll all forgive me? Maybe?

**Saturday, 4-16-11. Weather: Cloudy Morning and Rain throughout the Day**

Yu’s Saturday morning had an uneventful start. This time, for some insane reason, he had woken up before Nanako and made breakfast after checking his injuries. The cut on his head had completely disappeared, with no traces of it even being there besides a small bald spot, and the cuts on his legs were just tiny scratch marks now. At this rate, he should be fully healed by the afternoon, and his limp had vanished as well, so walking to school was not a problem.

That was until Yosuke nearly ran him over in a panicked frenzy, shaking him back and forth after abandoning his bike. Izanagi watched, amused at the two teen’s interaction, as another Persona floated next to them and waved at Yu.

“Can you see it? Please, tell me you can see them, my mom nearly didn’t let me go to school because she thought I hit my head so hard I was hallucinating. I can’t be the only one who can see it, right?” Yosuke pulled back and then turned his head to the two Personas and then back to Yu rapidly. “But there are _two_ of them, and the one with the black coat thing was following _you_ so—please tell me you can see at least _one_ of them.”

“Are you talking about Izanagi?” Yu asked, pointing to the being that had been with him nearly since he had arrived in Inaba. Yosuke paused and then sagged, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Oh thank god, I thought I was going nuts!” Yosuke tried to grab the other Persona’s pant leg, only for his hand to go through the other being. Despite not being affected, they crossed their arms stubbornly and leered down at Yosuke who took a few fearful steps back. “What the hell are they?”

“Well, Izanagi is a Persona, and so is your friend over there.” Yu said, pointing to the white-clad figure. “I think they’re what we turn into when we’re in the TV world.”

“So… you turned into that guy when you were fighting the Shadows? Man, I’m glad that the height didn’t transfer over then…” Yosuke mumbled. “I think its name is Jiraiya? I mean, when I stopped freaking out I just kind of… knew.”

“Yeah, the same thing happened with me. Izanagi’s been around since I got to Inaba.”

“No way! You’ve had it following you since the twelfth?”

“About that long, yeah.”

“Whoa… but forget about that, more important things!” Yosuke picked his bicycle and slung one of his legs over the seat. “Did you see what was on TV last night?”

“Yeah, I did. Not much to go on, though.”

“But if someone’s shown up on TV, we can’t ignore it. Let’s go check it out after school, maybe Teddie can tell us something.” Yosuke hung his head. “If it turns out someone was thrown in again, there really might be a culprit behind all this. Even if it is something about that place that’s killing the victims, if someone’s using that world as a weapon, that’s unforgivable.

“We need to find the culprit, no matter what it takes!” Yu’s eyes widened as Yosuke’s attitude shifted from somber to energized in a matter of seconds, Jiraiya pumping one of his fists into the air. “There’s no way the police can do it. Who’d believe that the murderer kills people by throwing them into the TV?”

Yu nodded. “I want to keep my word too.” _Teddie seemed miserable until we promised to help, and I never go back on my word._

“Totally! A promise is a promise.” Looking around, Yosuke moved a bit closer to Yu. “You know, I tried sticking my head in the TV last night, the way you did, and it actually worked. I think I can do it now because I have the same power—Persona, right?”

Jiraiya did a small spin in the air and placed their hand on Yosuke’s shoulder, and Izanagi pushed away from the wall and hovered next to Yu, both responding to the question. “So, if you have a Persona, then you can enter the TV world?

“Maybe.” Yosuke said, giving Yu a genuine smile. “I feel like, as long as you’re with me, I can find the culprit and crack this case. Let’s do our best!” Yosuke held out his hand, and Yu took it in a strong grip, smiling at the other teen.

A resounding _smash!_ filled the air, and Yu jolted before everything around him just… stopped. Yosuke, Jiraiya and Izanagi were frozen, the light breeze stopping abruptly as a card materialized above their joined hands. Two hands came from the bottom of the card, a flame jumping above them with a pair of eyes staring straight ahead, the symbol for infinity circling above. The Roman number **I** was held in the trimming below and a voice echoed through Yu’s head.

**Thou art I, And I am thou.**

**Thou hast established a new bond…**

**It brings thee closer to the truth.**

**Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Magician Arcana.**

Yu’s eyes widened, remembering the odd dream of the Velvet room the night prior, and Igor’s words came to mind.

_“The Persona ability is the power to control one’s own heart, and the heart is strengthened through bonds. As you form bonds by becoming involved with others, your own Social Links will gradually develop. The power of these Social Links is what will determine your Persona’s abilities.”_

_Social Links… So, it’s kind of like making friends with other people? And the stronger my friendship or… whatever relationship I have with them strengthens, then the stronger my Personas will be?_

Time resumed once more, the breeze picking up and Yosuke retracted his hand from Yu’s, who now acted like he was frozen. Yosuke waved his hand in front of Yu’s face, snapping him out of his reverie and back into the real world. “Hey, before we go to school, I wanted to ask you something. When you were fighting my shadow, you got knocked down a couple of times from it hitting you. Would you be okay if I pick you up, if that happens again?”

“Yeah, of course.” Yu said, desperately trying to dim down the blush in his cheeks from being caught up in his thoughts. “C’mon, we might be late if we keep waiting.” Yu turned around and began to walk to the high school, Yosuke blazing past on his bike. The entire ride, he wondered why his friend’s face had lit up a brilliant shade of red.

* * *

“Hey, have you noticed that it’s been weirdly windy today?” Yosuke asked as Yu sat down in their classroom. Morooka had yet to show up, and the bell had not rung yet, so the row they sat in was mostly deserted.

“Is it not normal?” Yu responded, looking through his bag as he tried to find the homework he had completed. Yosuke, on the other hand, had an incomplete sheet poking out of his bag. The conversation was abruptly ended by Chie opening the door and rushing into the classroom. Her gaze glanced over the sparsely populated room before landing on Yu and Yosuke, who nervously scratched the back of his head as he remembered what had happened in Junes. The short girl ran over to the two of them, Yu observing that she was lacking an angry expression.

“Uh, Chie!” Yosuke exclaimed, taking a few nervous steps back, trying to maneuver his position so that Yu was in between him and the short tempered girl. “About yesterday… we’re sorry we worried you.”

“Never mind that, is Yukiko still not here?” Chie asked, shifting nervously as she looked at her friend’s empty seat. Yu tilted his head in confusion while Yosuke continued the conversation.

“Huh, Yukiko-san? Uh… no? At least, I haven’t seen her today.”

“Oh man, what should I do? Hey, is that stuff you were talking about for real?” Chie questioned, looking out at the—now rainy—weather. Chie was really starting to worry about where Yukiko would be, despite her being busy with the Inn, she normally wasn’t this late. “You know, all that about how people showing up on the Midnight Channel is related to that other world.”

“Oh, we were talking about that on the way here. We’re thinking of checking it out later-”

“The person on TV yesterday… I think it was Yukiko.” Chie admitted, and Yu and Yosuke both froze. Yu’s mind immediately went back to the image he saw last night, and tried to compare it to Yukiko. _I mean, the face could work, but I don’t know what she would look like in a kimono-_

A lady wearing a kimono.

“Yukiko wears a kimono when she does errands.” Yu said in monotone, and Yosuke jolted like he was punched in the stomach. “God, I saw her last night when I was walking home from Junes. I saw her with the kimono _on_ and I didn’t even think of her being the one on the TV.”

“She was wearing it during that interview a few days ago too.” Chie continued, her voice rising in pitch as her panic began to take over. “I got worried, so I emailed her last night, but she hasn’t responded. I called her earlier in the evening though, and she said she’d be at school today. I-I…”

“Calm down, we get the picture.” Yosuke said, keeping a cool head as Jiraiya floated through the floor, trying to pat Chie’s head. Instead, their hand phased through her skull, and Yosuke stopped briefly as he processed this before continuing. “You still haven’t heard from her?”

“No.”

“We figured out that if someone appears on the Midnight Channel, that they’re in the TV world.” Yu said, regaining his composure. _And whenever a person enters, a Shadow of themselves appear and try to kill them, but that’s the last thing you need to hear._

“What’s that supposed to mean? Wait, are you saying Yukiko was thrown in there!?”

“We don’t know yet for sure.” Yosuke said, trying to keep Chie from having a panic attack. “We should check to see if she’s safe first, give her another call.”

Chie nodded, taking out her flip phone and frowned at the blinking ‘NO NEW MESSAGES’ displayed on screen. Hitting the 1 button, Chie began tapping her foot as the phone began to ring, only to see her start to shake as she brought the cell phone down. “No good, her voicemail picked up. S-She’s not answering.”

“Are you serious?” Yosuke asked, panic starting to settle in. “Then is Yukiko-san inside that place?”

“What about the Inn?” Yu says. “It’s been busy there, right? Maybe she’s just been caught up with something there?”

“Y-Yeah, an errand must have come up, or something. She wouldn’t be able to answer her cell if that’s the case.” Chie said, taking a few deep breaths.

“But would she skip school for that?” Yosuke asked, letting out a yelp of pain as Yu punched his side, sending the other boy a glare.

“Well, I’ll give the inn a call. I’ve got the number here somewhere.” Finding the contact, Chie then selected it and waited as the phone rang. “C’mon, Yukiko, pick up.”

Chie let out a sigh of relief when the front desk picked up and greeted her, having recognized her number long ago. “Hi, is Yukiko there? Oh thank god, she’s there!” Yu could immediately feel the tension in the area drop, and Yosuke tilted his head back and let out a sigh. Jiraiya, now knowing that the situation had calmed down, phased back through the floor and went back to Izanagi, who was showing them around the school building.

“Uh-huh… Uh-huh, I see.” A smile slowly began to form on Chie’s face as the conversation went on. “Ah, uh. Nah, it was nothing, haha. Can you tell her that I’ll email her later? Thank you!” Ending the call, she let out another sigh. “She was over at the inn, Umayo-san said that they had a big group reservation and that she had to help out. Yeah… now that I think about it, this has happened before, too. At least once a year. She said she’ll be at the inn tomorrow, too.

“For crying out loud, Yosuke, you got me worried over nothing! She was totally fine! And you wer all, “Is Yukiko-san inside that place?” Hmph.” Chie crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at the two boys in front of her.

“Sorry, but there is a reason we thought that.” Yosuke said, looking down at Yu, who turned back to Chie.

“We thought that if someone appeared on the Midnight Channel, it meant that they’re already in Teddie’s world. So when you said that Yukiko went missing, we assumed the worst. The theory makes sense, and apparently it’s not Yukiko because she’s still here.”

“Let’s meet up at Junes after school.” Yosuke said. “We can meet up with Teddie and make sure that no one’s on the other side.” The door slammed open and Morooka barged in, yelling at the other students for them to take their seats, and the three friends remained silent throughout the school day.

* * *

“...So after I beat the Shadow, Yosuke got his Persona—who is called Jiraiya—and we left to head back here. Then you threw a rope at us and we both left Junes to go back home.” Yu summarized as they stood in the electronics department of Junes, which was crowded with shoppers. Yosuke looked left and right, glaring at nearly anyone that came near them, clearly displeased.

“O-Okay, I think that’s more than enough about my sorry escapades.” Yosuke remarked, nervously turning to the couple less than five feet away from them.

“If I hadn’t seen the place first hand, I’d never have believed a story like that.” Chie said.

“Yeah, no kidding. Anyways, we need to know what’s going on inside.” Yosuke said, huffing in anger as a mother with a little boy passed by them.

“How? By asking that Teddie guy?”

“Yeah, but it’s way too crowded here.” Yu stated. “I thought you said that not a lot of people come to the electronics section?”

“There normally isn’t, but there’s a sale today and people will naturally look around.” Yosuke’s eyes widened and he gave a small smile. “I got it! Chie, c’mere a sec.” Yosuke moved to the left of the TV, his left shoulder against the edge of the flat screen, making sure that he wasn’t touching the screen instead. “Okay, now Chie, face me and go on the other side of the TV so that way we make a wall. Yu, try sticking your hand in and calling him over. I bet that bear’s wandering around the entrance anyway.”

Now with Chie and Yosuke on either side of him, they were blocking the other customers view of where his hand was going. Anyone passing by in the hall would just see three teens in front of a TV, and the ripples would just look like a weird light trick. Letting his hand go through the screen, Yu made a beckoning motion with his hand, hoping that Teddie was around and that he wasn’t looking like a complete fool.

Instead, he let out a muffled yelp of pain as blunt teeth chomped down onto his hand, and he jerked his hand out of the TV. Izanagi flew over immediately, naginata pointed at the TV in case a Shadow of some sort came through. Yu gently prodded at his hand, trying to not aggravate the reddened skin that showed clear bite marks.

“What’s wrong?” Yosuke asked, the question calling the attention of a few customers, which Chie noticed.

“Sh! Not so loud, you idiot! Dude, is that a bite mark? Are you okay?”

“I’ll be alright, there’s no blood.” Yu said, letting out a little hiss of pain and he continued to examine the minor injury.

“Wow, that looks like it hurts. Sheesh, that stupid bear must’ve done it.” Chie turned to the TV, keeping her voice at whispering volume, but maintaining the angry tone. “Hey, you! We know you’re in there!”

“Ooh, ooh, is this a game?” Came Teddie’s excited voice from the other side, dim ripples of white coming from the screen.

“No, it’s not a game!” Yosuke whispered. “Can you sense anyone inside there right now?”

“Who’s “anyone”? I’m a lonely little bear like always. This land feels so bear-ren.” The bear let out a tiny chuckle at his pun.

“Shut it!” Chie snapped. “So there’s no one inside? You’re sure?”

“I’m not lying! My nose is running as good as ever!” Teddie protested, and Yu could imagine the animal pounding his foot against the ground of the stage.

Chie let out a sigh, happy that no one was in the world, but still worried over the Midnight Channel’s image. “I’m gonna go warn Yukiko anyway. Since she’ll be busy this weekend helping out at the inn, I doubt she’d go anywhere alone, but still.”

“Yeah, you’ll walk with her to school on Monday, right?” Yosuke asked.

Chie nodded. “Sure, I’ll go pick her up at her house.”

“Maybe we’ll find out more on tonight’s Midnight Channel. Cross your fingers that this is all just a misunderstanding.” Yosuke said, taking his phone out of his pocket and flipping it open. “What’s your cell number? I’ll call you when I watch it tonight.” Yu nodded and took out his phone, the two exchanging numbers. As Yu put away the flip phone, Yosuke lifted his up and snapped a quick picture of Yu, who blinked rapidly in response to the flash. The other boy gave a wide smile before putting back his stoic demeanor. “Alright, don’t forget to watch tonight.”

The three nodded, leaving the store, not noticing how Jiraiya and Izanagi lingered behind them for just a second before waving and parting ways.

* * *

There was no large news report on, Dojima had arrived home only a few minutes ago and had gone to bed immediately, and Nanako was out cold. Yu let out a sigh as he shut the curtain behind him, rain pattering against the windows in the dark room. The clock on his counter ticked over to Midnight, and the TV blared white noise for only a second before switching over to a TV program.

A TV program starring Yukiko.

Yu jolted, TV remote falling from his hand as he stared at Yukiko (if it wasn’t Yukiko, it was someone who looked a hell of a lot like her). She wore a pink princess dress that showed her shoulders, pink arm-length gloves holding onto a microphone.

_“Good evening!”_ Yukiko exclaimed. _“Tonight, Princess Yukiko has a big surprise! I’m going to go score myself a hot stud! Welcome to not a dream, not a hoax, Princess Yukiko’s hunt for her Prince Charming! And I came prepared!”_

Yu felt a fluorescent blush cover his face as the camera cut to Yukiko gripping her crotch in a suggestive manner, and then to her breasts. He had to cover his mouth to restrain himself from making a noise that would wake up Dojima or Nanako. _“I’ve got my lacey unmentionables on, stacked from top to bottom. I’m out to catch a whole harem, and the best of the lot is gonna be all mine! Well, here I go!”_ The camera then cut to a wide shot, showing Yukiko running into a stone castle, statues of horses rearing up on their hind legs standing on the wall. Just as she was about to enter the building, the program ended, and Yu was left standing in his bedroom with Izanagi leering at the TV behind him.

Yu wasn’t certain how long he stood there before the ringing of his cell phone snapped him out of his stupor. He answered the call only to move the speaker a bit farther away from his ear when Yosuke’s panicked voice coming through.

_“Hey, did you see that? That was Yukiko-san for sure! It looked like her, I mean, she even said her name. But didn’t the stuff she was saying sound weird?”_

“I haven’t been here that long, Yosuke, but Yukiko is definitely not the type of person to just say that on TV.” Yu replied, pacing back and forth in his slightly cramped room. It was too small for him to make any real distance or work out a lot of pent up aggression, but he walked to the door to the end of his bed.

_“She looked like she was on some low-budget TV show, was it like this before too?”_

“If you mean with Saki, then it looked like a low-budget horror movie. Try calling Yukiko, if she’s okay then she should pick up.”

_“Y-Yeah, I know. Uh, crap, I don’t know her number!”_

“Then call Chie!”

_“Okay, yeah, I’ll do that. Tomorrow’s Sunday, so let’s meet up at Junes first thing in the morning!”_ Yosuke said, ending the call. Yu put his cell phone back in its charger and went to bed, head filled with upsetting thoughts.

* * *

Chie was happy that she had memorized the quickest path from her house to the Amagi Inn before she was six, because if she hadn’t, she would probably have gotten lost by now. Her legs burned as she forced herself to run the entire way, barely registering her cell phone ringing in her jacket pocket as she picked up.

_“Chie!”_ It was Yosuke. _“Look, did you watch the Midnight Channel? Do you know where Yukiko is?”_

“Don’t know, running to Inn, going to check, gotta go!” Chie said in between her pants, seeing the lights of the Amagi Inn just over the hill. She ended the call abruptly, sprinting up the slope and ending up at the back door, pounding away at it. After nine knocks, Namine Umayo opened the door and saw an exhausted Chie Satonaka on the doorstep.

“Chie, wha-”

“Is Yukiko here?” Chie panted, holding the door frame. “Please tell me she’s here!”

“She isn’t at your house?” Namine asked. “She hasn’t been at the Inn for the past few hours, so we thought she went to blow off steam with you.”

And it was in that moment Chie felt her heart break into a thousand pieces, and she fell to the floor sobbing.


	8. The Kidnapped Princess

**Sunday, 4-17-11. Weather: Clear Sky throughout the Day**

Yu woke up at 9. He actually got out of the bed and dressed at around 9:30, and then did some of his homework before going downstairs to head out to Junes. Sending a quick text message to Yosuke, Yu slipped on his black jacket and prepared to head out the door, only to stop as he heard a TV show starting in the living room.

Nanako sat at the table, alone, sipping at a glass of orange juice with an empty plate in front of her. "Oh, good morning."

"You're up early today. I thought that you would sleep in." Yu remarked, moving back to the kitchen to heat up some water for a cup of tea. It wasn't necessary, but it would give Yu some time to talk with his cousin and help him wake up a bit.

"He woke up early, so I woke up with him. He said he's gonna be late." Nanako said, turning her attention to the cartoon that was playing.

"I don't blame him. His work has been piling up, but still, he could have tried to make time for you." He remarked, narrowing his eyes as he realized that he would be leaving Nanako alone when he left. If it weren't for the fact that he was going to go into a potentially life-threatening world, he would be tempted to bring her along, as she had mentioned wanting to go to Junes multiple times.

"Are you going somewhere?" Nanako asked, noticing Yu's expression. "I mean, after you finish your tea."

"Uh, yes, I'm sorry but I don't think I can bring you." Yu admitted, lifting the hissing tea pot off of the stove and into his mug, putting in a few tea bags and waiting for the flavor to distill.

"I'll be fine by myself. I've been home alone before." Nanako changed the channel to the news, which had just finished the current weather forecast.

_"-so the weather this weekend will be perfect for going out. As for next week's forecast…"_

"Oh, the sun's gonna come out. I should do some laundry." Nanako said, and Yu couldn't help but be impressed by her level of maturity as he took a sip of his tea. He had started figuring out how to do the laundry and take care of himself when he was about nine, which was when his parents had started to leave him by himself more. Laundry had been the most difficult to master, because unlike cooking - which had come naturally to him - he had no idea how to work the washing machine they owned. The drier was much more simple, but that washing machine was like trying to do trigonometry with a third grader.

"Uh… weren't you going somewhere?" Nanako's innocent question snapped him out of his reverie, and Yu shook his head.

"Yeah, but I want to finish my tea first." Yu replied, moving over to the living room. "Hey, do you know my phone number?" Seeing Nanako shake her head, Yu took a small piece of paper and pen from the kitchen table and scribbled down his number, handing the paper to his little cousin. "If you need me to get you something, or if you need to contact me, then just call this number, okay? I'll try to get back to you if you do, so don't worry."

With a small nod from Nanako, Yu's worries were put at rest, and he finished his tea.

* * *

Considering it was Sunday, Yu was shocked seeing the near-abandoned food court at Junes. He was expecting it to be crowded, or for a few screaming kids to be present, but it was only a small family or two and a loner hanging around. Well, that and the three police officers that would patrol around the perimeter of the food court every few seconds.

"Yu!" The teenager turned his head, putting down the bagel he was eating and stared at Yosuke, whose arms were held behind his back at a weird angle. "Sorry for the holdup. I found some stuff we can use in the closet at home."

"Another golf club?" Yu asked with a snicker. "In all seriousness, what do you have?"

"Take a look at these!" Yosuke said, throwing out his arms. In his left hand was a rather sharp kunai, while in his right was a large katana. "We've got our Personas, but what if we can't summon them or get too tired? Besides, a golf club isn't that reliable a weapon."

"I…" Yu stared in shock as the sunlight glinted off the steel blade, and Jiraiya was holding their hands over the general area of where his mouth would be, their chest shaking with silent laughter. "You had those in your closet?"

"Relax, the blades are fake, they just look real." Yosuke twirled the kunai in his hand. "So, which one strikes your fancy?"

"The katana." Yu said with little hesitation. "It's the most similar to the naginata Izanagi uses."

"Ahh, you've got discerning taste, this is a Junes exclusive. As for me… wait, maybe both would be good too." Yosuke's smile widened and there was a wicked glint in his eyes. He then began to wave the weapons around, striking various poses with the weapons. "Kind like this? Or like this!"

Yu burst out into laughter. "There's no way that would work for you. They're weighted differently, so you'd have a harder time fighting." Out of the corner of his eye, Yu saw a flash of blue, and his sudden laughing fit ended abruptly. "Uh, Yosuke? I think you should stop now and hide the weapons."

Yosuke either didn't hear him or ignored Yu's request as he put his right foot back and leaned forward, slashing the katana's blade through the air before stabbing forward. Ignoring the odd looks from customers around him, Yosuke continued on with his show of skill, not noticing the cop from earlier coming up to their table.

"Two suspicious young males found, one armed with multiple weapons. Requesting immediate backup."

Yosuke froze, putting the weapons behind his back and trying to act innocent while Yu stood from his chair. "No, no no no no, this isn't what it looks like. We didn't steal it! Uh, I guess that's not what matters. Anyways, we're not doing anything bad! We're just two ordinary kids who like weapons and… Ugh, that doesn't sound right either." Yosuke tried to explain, chuckling as the officer moved closer to him.

"Put the weapons down now, we'll listen to your story at the station. Hands where I can see them, too! I said now!" Yu's eyes widened, and Yosuke let out a yelp as, in his haste, the kunai had cut through his jeans and nicked his leg. Throwing his arms out and trying to ignore the sting in his leg, Yosuke continued to try to get the cop to reconsider. However, this only made it seem worse, as the brown haired teen hadn't dropped the weapons.

"But- This isn't-!"

"Are you resisting an officer of the law?! Y-You're under arrest!" The cop exclaimed, voice cracking as his hand flew to his belt, which had a pair of handcuffs in one of the loops. Yu let out an aggravated sigh and lifted his hands slowly, showing no harm to the officer.

"Sir, I apologize for my friend here, he doesn't know how to act around cops. If we can all calm down, I can explain what-" Yu stopped talking as two more cops ran up behind them, Yosuke not stopping his broken sentences, continuing to wave his arms around. "I suppose you guys aren't up for hearing what we were really doing, huh?"

* * *

Yu really, really hates handcuffs. He also hates how Jiraiya has no experience with police whatsoever, and kept trying to kick the cops and their car the entire drive over to the station. Since there were two active police officers on duty near them at all times, Yosuke couldn't say anything or gesture to his Persona to stop, and it was incredibly difficult to not jump when a leg with nice dress shoes would phase through the side of the car at random intervals.

They were in an interrogation room for at least half an hour before they asked for their statements separately. While Yu kept a level head, Yosuke panicked and kept trying (and failing) to successfully explain why he had a sword and knife in a food court of all places. It was only because Dojima interfered and got them both out that Yosuke was saved from further embarrassing himself.

"You didn't seem the type to pull a stupid stunt like this." Dojima addressed Yu with a cold tone, and the silver-haired teen couldn't help but hang his head. _I've only been here for six days and I'm already being labelled as a delinquent by my own uncle._ "You know what's been going on around town, we got men stationed everywhere. For god's sake, you're lucky I was around, or this would have ended up on your permanent record."

"We're sorry." Yosuke apologized, keeping his gaze away from the older man. Yu let out a heavy sigh, and Izanagi floated back and forth behind him, imitating his partner's pacing from the night prior.

"Wait, so the one that disappeared is the Amagi girl?" Said a plain clothed man passing by, shocking the boys out of their sadness.

"Seems like it, but she's just a high schooler, you know. Could be that she decided to run away from home." An officer replied, shaking his head and sighing.

"Hey," Yosuke said, his voice trembling as he turned to Yu. "Did he say Amagi? Then, she really is-"

"Dojima-san," Yu interrupted, turning to his guardian. "I-Is Yukiko okay? Did something happen?"

"It's nothing for you to worry about, Yu. You're not with the police." Said the detective, letting out an aggravated sigh. "I'm sure you've seen on the news that there's an investigation in progress, we're sensitive about certain things. You're free to go, but this better not happen again, especially with you, Yu."

"Understood, sir." Yu said, nodding complacently at his uncle as the older man brushed past them, heading to his office. Yu glanced at his friend and turned to walk out of the police department, only to nearly bump into a much younger detective holding a steaming cup of coffee.

"Whoa, pardon me." Said the young man. "Aren't you the kid staying at Dojima-san's place?"

"Oh…! Uh, can we ask you something?" Yosuke asked, shuffling awkwardly next to his friend. "It's about Yukiko-san, I mean, Yukiko Amagi of the Amagi Inn. Did something happen to her?"

"Huh? Oh, um, am I allowed to say?" The young detective said, adjusting his hold on the coffee mug in his hand. "Well, if you're friends with Ms. Amagi… Keep this between us, okay? We got a call from Ms. Amagi's parents yesterday evening saying they couldn't find her anywhere. Since it was the weekend, the workers at the inn were extremely busy, and no one saw Ms. Amagi around that time. That doesn't necessarily mean this is a case just yet, but people've been turning up dead on foggy days, so we're really sensitive to stuff like this. By the way, did she say anything to you guys about maybe going through some hard times?"

"Hard times?"

"Well, that announcer, Ms. Yamano, was staying at the Amagi Inn before the first murder. Seems Ms. Yamano had some harsh words for the manager about the staff's attitude towards guests. The stress of it caused the manager to collapse, and with Ms. Amagi being the manager's daughter, she must've felt pretty strongly about the incident, y'know."

"If you're saying what I think you're saying," Yu growled, taking a threatening step towards the detective, the lights above them flickering rapidly. "Then I'd suggest that you shut your mouth."

"I… think I've gone too far." The detective admitted, letting out a nervous chuckle. "You didn't hear that, okay?"

"Adachi, what the hell are you chatting with civvies for?!" Came the enraged yell of Dojima from down the hall. "And where's my coffee?!"

"S-Sorry! I got it right here!" Despite his nervous demeanor, Adachi was grateful that Dojima had given him an out for the conversation he was currently having. Ignoring the glare that Yu was giving him, he walked down the hallway as fast as he could without spilling his coffee.

"Dude, you can be really scary when you want to be." Yosuke commented, Jiraiya's head popping through the wall behind him once they were certain they wouldn't get hit by a stray bolt of electricity. Yu let out an annoyed huff and walked down the hall, Yosuke falling in step besides him as they moved to the exit.

After a long stretch of silence between the two, Yosuke spoke up again. "Hey, does that detective think Yukiko-san-"

"There you are!" Yu and Yosuke turned to the front entrance of the police department, seeing a very pissed Chie making a beeline towards them. "Sheesh, what're you guys doing? I've been looking everywhere!"

"We aren't doing anything really," Yu remarked. "Unless you count getting arrested as something."

"There was a slight misunderstanding, we'll tell you about it later." Yosuke admitted, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Anyways, something's up with Yukiko-san!"

"You know already?" Chie asked, then she shook her head and took her cellphone out of her pocket. "I kept calling her cell, but she didn't pick up, so I ran to the Amagi Inn. They said they thought she was with me the whole time, so then I went to her house to check there afterwards, and it turns out Yukiko really did disappear!"

"Then that means we have to go to the TV world, she might be there now!" Yu said, and Yosuke nodded.

"That aside, the cops are saying some weird stuff, they think Yukiko-san's hiding to 'lay low.' Apparently Yukiko-san's mom collapse because that announcer lady bitched her out. They think that gives her a motive, and the fact that the announcer died right after makes her even more suspicious."

"What? They think _Yukiko_ did it? What the hell is wrong with them?" Chie shouted, trying to charge past Yu so that she could personally talk to the cops herself. The taller boy grabbed her arm and pulled her back, clearly panicked.

"Don't snap at us! Yukiko's the victim here, dammit, not the suspect." Yosuke said, taking her other arm and helping Yu move her back a few feet.

"Let's all calm down." Yu said, noticing that Jiraiya had moved into a defensive position, spinning his shurikens rapidly. "It's like the TV world, yelling won't solve anything. Yukiko's probably in the same world as Teddie right now, so all Yosuke and I have to do is check if she's there and go to rescue her."

"I'm going too, and that's final!" Chie exclaimed, crossing her arms stubbornly. "I'm going to save Yukiko, no matter what!"

"They confiscated our weapons." Yosuke muttered, giving Chie a defeated look. "We can't go in empty handed, especially if you're coming along."

"Weapons?" Chie placed her hand on her chin, tapping her foot. Her face then lit up as she ran to the entrance. "I know just the place, c'mon, follow me!"

* * *

"Wh-What kind of shop is this?" Yosuke and Yu couldn't help but stare at the various types of weapons mounted on the walls around them. Axes, katanas and armor covered the wall on their right, while standing behind the shopkeeper were racks of varying guns and bladed fans, knifes, and a _working forge_. Yu stared in shock at the very real blades surrounding them, as well as the very carefully crafted chest plate that was on his right. He knew that he would probably never wear it, TV world or not, but he couldn't help but stare at the fine details carved into it.

"A metalworks, I guess? They sell all sorts of metal crap, like katanas and stuff." Chie responded, taking interest in a pair of metal plated shoes resting on the counter.

"Doesn't that seem weird to you? Why would you know about a place like this anyway?" Yosuke adjusted his coat, giving a grin to his friends. "Oh, I get it, you watched one too many kung-fu movies, and-"

"It's not that at all! I overheard some guys in our class talk about it, they said this place sells weapons and armor." She then shifted her attention from the shoes in her hand to a metal chest piece standing on a mannequin. "Here, this one looks good, but it might be too heavy."

"I dunno Chie, I still think it's too dangerous. I know how you feel, but-"

"You don't!" Chie shouted, nearly dropping her shoes as she turned to the other boys, jaw clenched tightly. "You don't know _shit_ about how I feel. Yukiko might die from this, for crying out loud! I'm going, and that's _that!"_

After a long period of silence, Yu let out a sigh. "Okay, but stay behind us. Yosuke and I are the only ones who have dealt with Shadows."

"Psh, I'll be fine! My reflexes are second to none!" Chie replied, giving a small smile to Yu before turning back to the sets of armor. As she examined the chainmail, Yosuke stopped his joking demeanor and straightened his back.

"Listen, we're not kidding around. You don't know what it's like in there! If you're not gonna listen to our warnings, we're leaving you here." Noticing his friend's clenched fists, he let out a sigh. "If you insist on coming, just make sure you have something to protect yourself."

Another long stretch of silence filled the forge, broken by Chie, who nodded her head. "Alright." Yu could feel the tension in the room drop, and Yosuke moved closer to him gaze sweeping across the room as he walked.

"You have any idea what we should get?"

"I've got a few ideas, I'm just afraid you'll cut your hand open if I get you something sharp." Yu sends a teasing smirk at Yosuke, who groans and covers his chest with his arms.

"Well, you are our main asset in battle right now, so I think you should choose whatever makes it easiest for you." Digging in his coat pocket, Yosuke takes out a decently large wad of money and places into Yu's hand, totalling out to about 5000 yen. Yu stares at the money in shock as Yosuke moves away, deciding to browse the selection of weapons.

A ding from the cash register snaps both of them out of their stupor, and Chie is standing there with a paper bag clasped tightly in her hand. "I got my stuff all picked out! How about you guys?" Yosuke just stares while Yu comes to realize something.

"If Yosuke and I got taken to the police department for waving around fake swords, there's no way we aren't getting arrested looking like we're about to go to war."

"Yeah, but it's not like we can waltz into Junes with a sack full of gear and expect no one to notice, either." Yosuke remarked.

"Why not conceal them under our uniforms? I don't think people would notice." Chie suggests, already taking out the small chainmail armor she bought and rushing out the door. "There's a restroom in the Shiroku Pub, I'll go and change! Meet you guys there!"

"Wha- Chie!" Yosuke groans, covering his face with his hands. "Dammit, I'll go and make sure she doesn't break something, you get something for me!" And then he's gone, a small gust of wind pushing the dust from the floor around.

Yu let out a sigh, looking at Old Man Daidara, who only raised an eyebrow at the silver haired teen. Yu moved quickly, grabbing one of the katanas on display - fake, just like the one that Yosuke had for him - and placing it in his left hand. Moving on, he also grabbed a short blade hanging from the wall on his left. It was short, decently sharp, and hopefully Yosuke would have enough common sense as to not throw it around like it was a toy.

Finally, he moved over to the armory where Chie was before, picking up two sets of chainmail. They looked to be around the same size, and he was of a similar build to Yosuke, so hopefully the armor would fit them. Quickly giving the yen to Daidara, Yu said his thanks and left the store. Despite having seen his fair amount of intimidating people in his life, Daidara was unfamiliar and skilled with weapons, and the large X shaped scar on his face did not help matters much.

It was then Yu realized that this was probably only the second time he's been in the Shopping District, and he had absolutely _no idea_ as to where the Shiroku Pub was.

_Well…_ Yu thought, looking from left to right. _This is a problem. Maybe it's by the gas station?_ Taking a right, Yu began walking down the street, glancing at the stores on the other side of the street in case the pub was over there.

A loud sound came from his right, accompanied by a flash of light that blinded Yu temporarily. Shaking his head and blinking rapidly, Yu nearly jumped into the street when he saw an odd looking doorway that was hovering above the ground. The teen looked around, seeing no one else reacting to the door, and even having one person walking _through_ it, like it didn't exist. His hands automatically went into his pockets, and he tried to loosen his posture, pretending to be relaxed.

Another flash of light went off, his head thumping angrily as a voice reverberated through it. "So it finally begins. Now, if you'll give me a moment of your time." A blue light began to shine through his pants pocket, and Yu dropped his bag in shock as the shopping district faded away, the door opening with an odd grace. The teen's sense of balance disappeared, it almost felt like he was falling, and he let out a small gasp as color returned to his vision and his legs buckled beneath him -

only to fall into a velvet covered seat, the sound of a humming engine filling his ears as he was welcomed back into the Velvet Room.

"We have been expecting you." Igor says, grin plastered to his face as he takes in Yu's frazzled appearance. "The catastrophe that is headed your way… It has already taken human lives in its approach towards you, but you have nothing to fear. You already have the power to fight against it. It seems that the time for you to use your Persona has come." Igor lets out a chuckle, and Margaret shifts her attention to the teen.

"Your Persona ability is that of the wild card; if you strengthen your bonds properly, their power will help you overcome any ordeal. Our role is to facilitate that."

"My contribution is to give birth to new Personas. By mixing together multiple Persona cards, I can transmute them into a new form." Igor says. "This, in other words, is the fusion of Personas. You have the power to hold multiple Personas and to use them accordingly. When you defeat an enemy, the seeds of possibility you attain will appear before you as cards. At times, they may be hard to grasp, but you must master your fear and reach out to them. When you obtain new cards, please do not hesitate to bring them here. If you have been developing your Social Links, then your Persona will gain even more power. They will be your chief sources of strength, you would do well to take this to heart."

Igor and Margaret exchange looks, and the younger woman nods, lifting the book in her lap so that the cover faced Yu. "The tome you see in my hand is the Persona Compendium. Registering the Personas you hold will allow you to recall them at any time, please see me when you wish to use it.

"Oh, and one more thing, I would like to introduce a new resident of the Velvet Room, who will be helping you on your journey." Yu's gaze drifts to the left, landing on the teenage girl who had been pressing herself into the side of the Velvet seat. A brimmed hat is sitting comfortably atop her head, nearly covering her narrowed eyes as she lets out a 'hmph.' "Marie?"

"Yeah, I can hear. Nice to meet you." The venom behind her words is held back by an uninterested tone, but Yu tilts his head, getting an odd sense of deja vu from hearing the girl's voice.

"I've met you somewhere…" Yu mutters, thinking that his voice was low enough that no one would hear. However, Marie's eyes widened and she lets out a tiny sound of surprise.

"Oh, maybe. That'd explain why you're so familiar." Marie hums and curls into herself, and Margaret lets out a sigh, turning back to Yu.

"Excuse her, this is Marie. Her soul is very young, and-"

"Shut up!" Yu's eyes widen as Marie shouts, her nails digging into her arm. "Don't tell him any more about me than you need to."

Margaret continues as if nothing had happened. "As you can see, she may be brusque at times, but please understand that she is only an apprentice and forgiver her for her impoliteness."

"Got it." Yu states, eyes shifting to Marie, who squirms uncomfortably under his gaze.

"Marie will be dealing with 'Skill Cards.' Using these cards will allow you to provide your Personas with new powers. Also, I am sure she will help you form a bond between yourself and the 'outside world.' Marie will contact you at a later date, please be free to speak with her here when you wish to use her services."

Igor lets out another chuckle, hands folded in a way that blocks his mouth from sight. "Do you recall my words to you before? "The coming year is a turning point in your destiny. If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost." I meant precisely what I said. Defeat in battle is not the only way your journey may come to an end. Please do not forget this.

"When next we meet, you will come here of your own will. I look forward to it." Igor lets out another chuckle, waving his hand. "Until then, farewell."

The world blended into a blinding white, and the seat he was comfortably sitting on disappears. His balance shifts again, and he briefly thinks _whoa, wait, this isn't a good thing_ before he falls flat on his back on the sidewalk, hearing two startled yelps beside him. Letting out a small groan, Yu opens his eyes and turns his head, meeting the startled expressions of Chie and Yukiko. The door is still there, just a tiny bit more transparent, Izanagi glowering at it as if it were a Shadow. Jiraiya, on the other hand, is staring at the other Persona in confusion, head tilted as they floated casually.

"Uh, Yu? Where did you come from?" Chie asks, her voice squeaky as she stares at the silver haired teen. For her and Yosuke, it had looked like there was nothing in front of them, and then Yu just poofed into existence as he fell onto the sidewalk. Yu's mouth opens and closes a few times before he simply sighs and picks himself up, grabbing his bag and moving to Yosuke.

"I really don't know how to tell you what just happened, but I got you a pair of chainmail and two kunai for you to use, so just tell me where this Pub is."

* * *

Heading back to Junes was awkward, partly because Yu knew for a fact that there was going to at least one person who saw his arrest still in the store. The other thing that was awkward was trying to adjust to the fact that, underneath his school uniform (which would also attract even more attention because it was Sunday) he was wearing a set of chainmail. That, and he had to place the katana at an odd angle so that it wouldn't stand out much under his jacket. Chie and Yosuke had it easy, their weapons were small and unnoticeable if they played their cards right.

"The sale should end soon, so that'll get rid of some of the people wandering around here." Yosuke pipes up after the ten minute long walk of silence, the trio standing in front of the main entrance. Like Yosuke said, the crowd had thinned out by a large amount considering how many people were there earlier in the day. Yosuke sighs a final time, turning his attention to the only girl of the group. "Chie, it's not too late to-"

"I'm going!" Came the angry reply, Chie's jaw clenched to keep out any other nasty remarks.

"Fine, but don't push yourself, got it?" Yosuke crosses his arms in front of his chest and, sharing a nod with Yu, they move into the store. While the crowd outside was thinner, inside the store it was still a little bit crowded. As such, each jostle with another person was not appreciated, even more so for Yu. While Yosuke and Chie were only at risk of getting weird looks because of the chainmail clinking, each bump for Yu not only caused him to get a look, but was also at risk for the katana becoming visible.

This was why the two teens were grateful that Izanagi and Jiraiya existed. Sensing their partner's distress, they floated high above the shelves, acting as guides for the group. Whenever there was a large group of people coming, they gestured wildly (or in Izanagi's case, sent a small shock of electricity to arc to the ground in front of Yu) and pointed to a much more secluded path. Because of this, however, it took a little longer to get to the electronics department, and each second wasted caused Chie's nervousness to curl into a tightly tied ball, ready to explode at the slightest provocation.

It was a relief when they got to the TV, the section of the store practically deserted, and Yu slumped in relief. Instead, Yosuke stuck his hand in first, ignoring Chie's exclamation of shock at the sight, and let the others enter before him. Yu went first, this time prepared to land on his feet. The sight of the fog-filled world before him sent a shiver up his spine, and he quickly slipped on his glasses to help combat any oncoming headaches.

Hearing a shout from above, Yu moved to the right as Chie plummeted down, just barely managing to catch herself at the last second. Stretching out his hand, Yu helped his friend up just as Yosuke fell in, fumbling slightly as he righted his feet. The three teens nodded to themselves, Yosuke following Yu's example and put on his glasses as well, and they heard a whimper to their left.

"Whoa, it really is that bear from last time." Chie gasped out, eyes squinted as she tried to see through the fog.

"What're you doing?" Yosuke asked, seeing Teddie's hunched figure as he held his head.

"Can't you tell? I'm thinking about stuff." Yu winced as he heard the bear's depressed tone. "I've been deli-bear-ating over it for a long time now. Hey, that wasn't a bad joke!" Teddie let out a small chuckle, his mood brightening almost instantly at the pun, and Yosuke groaned.

"Have you figured anything out?" Yu asked, taking a step closer and, feeling the sword shift uncomfortably against his back, he shifted it around until it was in a much more comfortable position

"Eh, it's probably useless to think about it too much. I've seen the inside of your skull, and it was empty." Yu sent an empty glare at Yosuke at the comment.

"How rude!" Teddie exclaimed, rushing to the trio with an angry expression. "You're right, though. I try and try but nothing comes out of my head."

"Will you guys shut up?" Chie shouted, her apprehension starting to show. "Now's not the time for stupid jokes! Listen, someone came here yesterday, right?"

"Wow! There's a girl with a better nose than me?" Teddie turned to Chie, his pupils merely specks of black in his eyes. "What's your name, miss?"

"Miss? Um, I'm Chie, but never mind that! Tell me more about that someone!"

"I think it happened a little after I talked with you guys. After that, it felt like someone was here."

"Is it Yukiko-san?" Yosuke asked.

"How would he know? He's never met Yukiko before." Yu responded, and Teddie nodded.

"I don't know, I haven't looked." He then turned and walked towards the walkway behind Yu. "The presence is over that way. That's probably where they are."

"Over there, huh?" Chie turned her head, glaring at the fog-covered landscape. "Is everyone ready?"

"Y-Yeah." Yosuke replied and, hearing the shing of Yu's katana being unsheathed, Chie ran ahead, the rest of the group only a few steps behind.

* * *

"I was kind of hoping that the castle didn't exist." Yu said as he stared at the looming structure before him. On the TV, it had appeared much smaller, but now standing in front of it, Yu could clearly see that it was inspired by the old castles built during the Middle Ages in Europe.

"Y'think this is the place they showed on TV last time?" Chie asked, taking in the horse statues stood on the stone pillars of the walls around them, frozen in time as they reared on their hind legs.

"Certainly seems like it."

"You're positive that no one's behind a camera for that bizarre midnight program?" Yosuke asked Teddie.

"Program? I don't know. Maybe people on your side can see stuff in this world. It might be that. And I told you before, there's only me and Shadows here! There's no 'camera' stuff going on. This world has been like this from the beginning."

"'From the beginning'? _That's_ what we don't understand!"

"I dunno, can you explain everything about your world? I've never seen this 'program' thingy before, so I don't know."

"Well, is that really what's happening? Are we really looking into this world?" Chie asked, and Yu turned around to look at the three of them. "Because the first time Yukiko showed up on that channel was _before_ she disappeared. Doesn't that seem off? I mean, _Yukiko_ saying stuff like 'score myself a hot stud'? That's not like her at all!"

"'Score'? 'Stud'?" Teddie repeated, a confused expression replacing his usual smile.

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. Yukiko-san would never say anything like that." Yosuke paused before letting out a sharp gasp. "Maybe this is kinda like what happened to me last time?"

"There's a lot of stuff I still don't get, but after hearing your story… I think that 'program' happens because of the person who appears on it. Or something like that."

"So, Yukiko is producing that show herself?" Chie scratched the back of her head, shuffling her feet.

"I can't see that happening." Yu commented, adjusting his grip on his katana. "There has to be something else, some other reason." _But until we can figure out more, we can't even make a solid theory._

A tense silence enveloped the group, only to be broken a few seconds later by Chie. "Hey, do you feel Yukiko's presence from inside?"

"I'm pretty sure." Teddie replied, not noticing Chie's tense posture and clenched fists. "So, um, what's this 'scoring with a hot stud' thing?"

"Yukiko's here… I'm going on ahead!" Was Yu's only warning before Chie raced past him, going into the castle without hesitation.

"Hey, wait! Don't go alone!"

"What part of 'stay behind us' isn't clear!" Yu shouted, noting Teddie's distressed wail behind him.

"This is bad, there are a lot of Shadows in there!"

Well… shit. Yu quickly summoned Izanagi, shattering the tarot card in his hand and letting the blue flames envelop him and change his attire. Turning to Yosuke, he waited for the shorter teen to do the same.

Instead, Yu's eyes widened when he saw Yosuke crouch slightly while holding his kunai and then perform a flip, shattering the card that hovered in midair in front of him. Green flames surrounded him and then burst out with a gust of wind, showing off Yosuke's new form. A white full body suit with a red section over his chest and camouflage print around his hands and the end of his pants legs. Despite his face being hidden by the large mouse-like mask on his head, Yu could still tell that the other was shocked at the sudden shift in power.

"Whoa, this is…" Yosuke looked down at his hands, noting the two very sharp shurikens attached to the palms of his hands, then the fact that he was floating in midair. Once he realized this, he soon fell to the cobblestone road, landing on the balls of his feet, eyes still locked on his new clothing. "This is _weird._ "

"You get used to it." Yu commented, summoning his naginata and charging into the castle with sparks flying off of his body.

* * *

"I tell her to not go in on her own, and what does she do?" Yosuke slashed through another Shadow that was blocking their path, and then released a Garu spell at one that was trying to sneak up on Yu. "She charges right in! "I'll be fine," she says, "I get it," she says, clearly not!"

"Well, let's just be glad that now Shadows have come after her yet." Yu replied, Naginata slashing through a Lying Hablerie. Small sparks of electricity jumped from his fingers as the two flew forwards, Teddie only a few paces behind. Another Shadow crawled around the corner, clawed hand ripping the nice red carpet that decorated the center of the castle's floors. Yu slashed at it, sighing in relief as only one Calm Pesce formed. It darted past Yu the moment its tail twitched and slammed into Yosuke, who was thrown into a marble pillar carved in the wall, a distinct crack forming at the impact. Yu yelled in rage, a Zio flying from his hand and instantly killing it. Yu let out a sigh of relief, lowering his arm and moving to Yosuke, helping his partner up, who rubbed his back, muttering about sleeping on his stomach tonight.

An odd bubbling sound rang through Yu's ears and, thinking it was another Shadow, instinctively moved into a defensive position before his vision was swamped with yellow and gold. The castle disappeared completely, two small cards spun around each other around him. Igor's words rang in his mind, _"When you defeat an enemy, the seeds of possibility you attain will appear before you as cards. At times, they may be hard to grasp, but you must master your fear and reach out to them."_

The thought didn't really help him relax, but a the light tinkling of bells soon turned his attention back to the cards, now floating in place in front of him. One card was similar to the ones he would see when forging a Social Link, a lantern-like object hovered in the center of a red background, a half lidded eye hung from its bottom. In the trimming was the Roman numeral **IX**. The second card, however, was radically different. Held in a gold trimming on a black background was a green skinned imp-like figure with blond hair. Held in its hands was a ladle, the end containing a roaring flame.

Out of pure curiosity, Yu reached out his hand and grabbed the card with the imp on it. A gleeful laugh rang in his ears, the card shattering into fragments as the other disappeared. Fire leapt from the ground in front of him, and then receded just as fast. The imp was standing there, a victorious smile on its face as it did a little dance, waving its ladle wildly in the air.

"Free, free at last! Beelzebub cannot command me any longer!" It laughed again, stopping once it noticed Yu, eyes glinting mischievously in the fire light. "Are you the one who freed me? If so good mortal, I, Ukobach, will remain in your service until you say otherwise! I await your orders with baited breath, sire."

And just as soon as it happened, Ukobach left in a plume of flames, and the yellow and gold scenery fading back to the castle, Yosuke and Teddie looking at him in concern. Yu let out a shaky breath, calming down and resting carefully against the wall.

"Dude, you okay? You just kind of… froze for a second there." Yosuke asked, prepared to cast the latest spell he had learned while fighting through the first floor, Dia.

"I…" Yu paused, having heard laughter ring through his mind again. "I'm fine, just… really confused."

* * *

"Yukiko!" Chie screamed, ducking through the hallways of the castle, scared at the fact that dark shapes danced in the corner of her eyes. She didn't look back, or over her shoulder, afraid that she would see the Shadows that Yu and Yosuke had talked about prior. She simply hoped that they were fast enough, and for her to find Yukiko quickly so that they could all leave.

Now, however, she wondered just how tall the castle was. Granted, it was a castle, but most medieval castles, if she remembered correctly from her textbooks that she had glanced at, were only about three floors tall. But going up a second second flight of stairs, she could only hope that it wasn't much higher.

It wasn't that she was unfit, of course not, it was just that after going into that apartment complex she really did not want to see what would be on the top floor.

At the top of the stairs, it was only one hallway that led up to two tall doors. Maybe this is the top, she hoped, maybe Yukiko will be there and we can go back home!

With that thought in her mind, Chie moved forward, and opened the door.


	9. The Awakened Chariot

"Remember," Yu says, looking back at Yosuke and Teddie. "Follow my lead, we don't know what's going on with Chie right now." Seeing his friends nod, Yu turned around and pushed open the two heavy oak doors.

Like the rest of the castle, the interior was decorated with red silk curtains. and lit up by the large chandelier hanging from the ceiling. As he looked around, Yu couldn't help remember the old paintings of amphitheaters he had seen his history textbooks. Chie, with her green jacket, was a stark contrast against the endless shades of red, white and black.

"Chie! Yosuke shouted, changing out of his Persona's form in favor of looking more familiar for the teenage girl. "Are you alright?"

Chie stayed still, not turning around or responding, almost oblivious to the other three people in the room. Her head remained tilted back, gaze locked on the chandelier hanging above her. "Chie?"

**_"She said that red looks good on me."_** Yu tensed, a stray arc of electricity flying off his body, nearly hitting Yosuke. The shorter boy barely reacted, instead deciding to look around for Yukiko, or at least, the source of Yukiko's voice.

**_"I hated my name. Yukiko. Snow. Snow is cold and it melts quickly. It's transient, worthless, but it's perfect for me. Apart from inheriting the inn, I'm worthless. Still… Chie told me that red looks good on me."_** Yu noticed how Chie's hands clenched at her sides, and he wondered how long she had been listening to this voice before he had entered. A pause followed the voice, and Yu heard it. It was very soft, just barely there, but it made Yu's heart stop.

A sob.

Chie was crying. "Yukiko…"

**_"Chie was the only one who gave my life meaning. She's bright and strong, and she can do anything. She_** **_has everything that I don't. Compared to Chie, I'm… I'm…"_** Another sob came from Chie, and Yukiko's voice continued.

**_"Chie protects me, she looks after my worthless life, and I… I don't deserve any of it. Chie is so kind…"_ **

"Yukiko, I-I…" Chie wiped her face with her sleeve, taking a shaky breath.

**_"'Chie is so kind,' huh? What a joke."_ **

Chie's gaze finally broke away from the ceiling, only to take a step back. "Wh-What?"

In front of Chie was, well, herself. A carbon copy, from her looks down to her stance, smiled down at Chie. Yu began to charge forward, intent on taking down the Shadow before it could go berserk, only to be forced back by two Lying Hablerlies. He prepared a Zio, only to be thrown back into a wall when the chandelier above them disconnected and slammed into his stomach. A swarm of Shadows, some familiar while others were new, flew down to Yu and Yosuke, fully intent on ending their lives.

**_"Are we talking about_** **that** ** _Yukiko?"_** Shadow Chie taunted, ignoring the small war happening not five feet away from them. **_"She says I'm protecting_** **her?** ** _She says she's worthless! That's how it should be, right?"_**

"What're you saying?" Chie asked, yelping when she saw Yosuke - now dressed as Jiraiya - get thrown to the ground by a Calm Pesce.

**_"Yukiko's_** **so-** ** _good looking,_** **so-** ** _fair skinned_** **, so-** ** _feminine. She's the one all the guys drool over._** ** _When Yukiko looked at me with such jealousy, man, did I get a charge out of that. Yukiko knows the score: she can't do anything if I'm not around. I'm better than her, much,_** **much** ** _better!"_** Its yellow eyes gleamed as it took in Chie's distress.

"No, I have never thought that!"

Yu screamed as he sliced through the last Shadow blocking his path, Yosuke throwing a Garu at the swinging chandelier to have it lodge into the wall. "What're we gonna do?" Yosuke gasped out, slouched over from the pain in his back.

"If we don't hurry, Chie's Shadow is going to change and attack us!" Yu said, straightening as he stared at the two bickering girls in front of him.

"We need to protect Chie-chan right now!" Teddie said, ducking out of his hiding spot behind a curtain and moving towards Chie, Yu and Yosuke not far behind. Hearing the soft squeaks of Teddie's feet hitting the floor, she turned around, only to scream at them.

"N-No, don't come near me! Don't look at me!" She yelled, getting into a defensive position, only to tense up at her Shadow's laughter behind her. She then moved so that she could see the trio on her left and her Shadow on her right, her gaze switching between the two as quick as possible.

_She thinks we're Shadows._ Yu thought, eyes widening behind his mask. Dropping the transformation, Yu moved forward and tried to placate his friend. "Chie, calm down, you need to-!"

"No, no this isn't me!" She shouted, turning back to her Shadow and raising her leg and kicking. The Shadow simply raised its hand and caught the offending limb and pushed it away from its face, laughing at the poor attempt of an attack.

**_"That's right, I'm the one who can't do anything alone. I can't win as a girl, let alone as a person. I'm pathetic. But Yukiko, she depends on me."_** It let out another small laugh, taking two large steps towards its counterpart and leering at her face. **_"That's why she's my friend; I'll never loosen my grip on her, she's too important to me."_**

"No, that is not how I think of her!"

**_"So you're just gonna turn your back and deny me again? But things are different now. When the time comes, I'll be the one left standing. You won't mind right? I'm still you!"_ **

"Shut up! You're…" Chie's body shook, her nails drawing blood from her palms with how tightly her fists were clenched, and Yu froze as the words left her lips, Yosuke shouting a warning that was too late. "You're not me!"

Chie's Shadow simply froze for a second before wrapping its arms around its stomach, laughing maniacally as the dark aura around it pulsed and darkened. Chie let out a scream as she was pushed back by the resulting shockwave of the Shadow's transformation, the entire room enveloped in darkness for a split second before being lit up again.

**_"Ha! If only you knew what you've just done!"_** The Shadow cackled, and Yosuke quickly put distance between him and the monstrous… thing in front of him. Stacked on top of three other students dressed in Yasogami High uniforms was a gray-skinned woman, her face hidden behind a large yellow mask that folded onto itself, a red smiley face drawn on the top. It wore a minimal amount of clothing, having arm length gloves, knee high boots

"Chie!" Yosuke shouted, looking around the room for the fallen girl as Teddie quickly moved as far away as he could from the large Shadow.

"It's okay! I've got her!" Yu said, pulling the shocked Chie to one of the stone outcroppings surrounding them for her to lying on.

"I-It's coming!" Teddie shouted, deciding to stand near Chie in an attempt to 'guard' her. "You have to use your powers to save Chie-chan!" Yosuke nodded, throwing out one of his shurikens, only to have it be bounced back when the Shadow lashed out with one of its whips.

**_"I am a shadow, the true self. What do you guys think you're doing? Trying to defend the 'real' me? Then you're gonna pay the price!"_** It jeered, letting its hair fly out, twisting together to form sharp knives.

"Shut up! Quit being such a pain!" Yosuke shouted, flying around the room as fast as he could to avoid the Shadow's hair from hitting him.

**_"Think you can stop me that easy?"_** It said, turning its attention to Yu, who had just changed and was standing defensively in front of Chie. **_"And what about you? You think you're suddenly the hero now? Please, as if! I'll just stomp her little body until she's broken and crying and take her place, how does that sound?"_**

"Zio!" Yu yelled, aiming at the bunches of hair that were still trying to hit Yosuke. The Shadow let out a grunt, but otherwise appeared unharmed, except for the now charred hair pulling away from the teenager.

"Thanks, Partner!" Yosuke shouted, aiming a Garu spell at the stacked teenagers below the Shadow's main body. Unable to handle the force of the wind, plus the effort needed to hold the others up, they fell to their knees, Shadow Chie having to teeter precariously in order to keep its balance.

"Should we show 'em who's boss?" Nodding to show his consent to the plan, Yu and Yosuke charged forward, weapons shining in the dim lighting the room offered as they sliced at the Shadow. Clumps of black, greasy hair flew off of it, and one of the girls holding it up let out a scream as it dissolved into black dust, forcing the remaining two to support the Shadow's entire weight.

**_"Looks like you won't understand without a little pain!"_** Giggling madly, Shadow Chie cracked its whip against the ground, and two large thunderbolts struck the two teenagers. Yu barely felt any pain, twitching as a slight buzz ran through him. Yosuke, on the other hand, let out a screech and fell to the ground twitching, and Yu immediately moved in front of him, blocking the Shadow's incoming whips with his naginata. **_"Ha, how lame! You're all so deadly serious, and we've only gotten started! Filthy maggots!"_**

Hearing another scream, Yu turned around to see Yosuke getting repeatedly hit by the Shadow's bladed hair that had bended and dodged around him. Unable to defend himself, he could only feebly curl up into a ball in an attempt to guard his more vital areas. The silver-haired teen's vision tinted red and he raised his hand, smashing the card that held Ukobach.

Almost immediately his naginata vanished, and instead Ukobach stood on the floor in front of him, his ladle lit up with a roaring fire. "Ah, hello sire! My, this one looks like it's incredibly feisty! A good choice for battle, if I do say so myself." With little fanfare, the devil swung the ladle in a wide arch, and the carpet around the Shadow lit up with flames. It screeched in pain, it's hair trying to smother or slash out the fire, and it gave Yu enough time to help Yosuke back to his feet and give a quick look over his injuries.

"Garu skills work best on it." Yu stated as he analysed the Shadow's charred hair and body. "Zio and Agi don't work as well, so you're our best shot at killing it right now."

"If you can give me cover while I cast the spell, and then we both charge in, we should be able to get this done quickly." Yosuke said giving a thumbs up. The sound of someone clearing their throat made both teens jump, and they turned around to see the Shadow with multiple parts of its body burnt, tapping it's palm with the end of a riding crop.

**_"Um, hello? Do you think I'm deaf or something? Well, I'm not! Green Wall!"_** Shadow Chie said, adjusting frequently to keep her balance on top of the remaining girls. Her whip cracked against the ground again, and her entire body glowed green for a second before fading, her hair charging at the duo in burnt clumps.

"Be careful!" Teddie yelled, staying near Chie in case a stray attack came towards her. "It just made itself resistant against Garu skills!"

"What?!" Yu yelled, smashing a card in his hand again, switching back to Izanagi and slashing at the offending hair with his naginata. "Well, how do we knock her down now?"

"It'll end soon, you just have to wait it out!" Grunting with frustration, Yu raised his blade and charged at Shadow Chie, swiping at her back. To his surprise, it barely reacted to the attack, both physically and vocally, and he was thrown back into a pillar. Not noticing this, Yosuke threw both of his shurikens at it, only to have them ping off harmlessly against its hair.

**_"Are you guys idiots? Why are you protecting her like that? She's nothing but a grubby bitch!"_** Shadow Chie's body glowed green again, only for it to fizzle out as it cracked its whip on the ground again, bolts of electricity flying from the sky. Yu moved quickly, managing to take the Zio aimed at Yosuke as it turned to the somewhat-conscious Chie. **_"And don't act like you don't know it! You're well too aware that you're greedy, always wanting these 'friends' just so you can get a charge out of being better than them later on! It's pitiful. It's_** **weak.** ** _You are a pathetic, little-!"_**

"That's enough out of you!" Yosuke shouted, throwing a Garu at it just in time for him to negate the Shadow's attempt at hitting its human counterpart. However, it lurched back just in time to avoid being hit, and then aimed its whip at Yosuke, hitting his leg and cutting through the pants material. He let out a yelp of pain and kept his weight off of his leg, avoiding further injury as Yu charged forward and swung his blade at the Shadow multiple times, backing off when its hair tried to choke him.

**_"Ngh… Don't make fun of me, you're - you're nothing against me!"_** Throwing out her hand and letting the whip crack in the air, it cast another spell. The water in the air froze and clumped together, forming two decent sized chunks of ice that were then thrown at the two boys. While Yu managed to dodge, Yosuke's injured leg was hit a second time, and he fell to the floor in pain.

Using this to its advantage, Shadow Chie let out another Mazio spell, hitting Yosuke in the chest before Yu could move fast enough. He was then hit by its hair, sharpened into messy blades, and thrown to the ground, letting out a groan as the transformation burst and faded. Yosuke was on his back, face twisted in pain, helpless as he watched the Shadow waltz over to him and raise its weapon high in the air.

Seeing this, Yu's body was immediately covered in electricity, forming a shield-like cocoon around him as he dove at the Shadow. Once he was right in front of it, hovering in front of the two high-school girls, he let go of the spell that had charged around him, and the Shadow screeched in pain as it was burnt horribly, only to burst into red and black dust a few seconds later. Yosuke was lucky, the electricity curving around him and avoiding his bare skin or any injured parts of his body.

Yu panted, wiped out from using up most of his energy for the attack, and he floated down to the floor. Taking deep breaths, he let go of the transformation, only to grunt in pain as the extent of his injuries hit him twice as hard. At least when he was working with Izanagi, the pain was shared, but when separated in the TV world, he would be the only one experiencing the pain while his injuries slowly healed over the course of the day.

Turning around, the taller boy stumbled over to Yosuke, crouching down and shaking his shoulder. "Hey, c'mon. You have to get up, I don't think I can carry you." Yosuke groaned, opening his eyes and staring blankly at the other.

"Mm… Five more minutes." He groaned and closed his eyes again, eliciting a chuckle from Yu. Somehow he managed to get his hands underneath Yosuke and push him up to his feet, slinging one of his arms over his shoulder to support the other. He hissed when his leg, the one hit by the ice, tapped against the carpet, and he had to put a large amount of his weight on Yu.

The squeaks of Teddie's feet against the ground brought the teen's attention to the bear and Chie, who looked like she was about to piss her pants with fear. "You okay, Chie?" Yosuke asked, and the girl raised her hand to punch him before she looked over his body and slowly lowered her fist.

"Am I okay? Have you looked at yourself? That thing nearly…" Chie took a double take when she looked at the area where the rampaging Shadow had stood before, her 'clone' taking her place. Unlike before, it stood there completely silent with a blank expression, but Chie still took a step back and clenched her fists. "What's the matter? Got nothing to say anymore?"

"Stop it, Chie. It's all right." Yosuke said, wincing as he tried to use Dia while out of transformation to heal his leg. It was harder to pull off, and it required a lot of concentration, but it was certainly not impossible.

"But…"

"We understand." Yu stated, gaze flicking from Chie to the Shadow. "Yosuke had to face something like that too, and everyone has stuff they don't want to admit."

"He's right, I went through the same thing." Yosuke said, managing to give Chie a small smile. "So I can understand; I mean, everyone has a side like this."

Chie's gaze turned to the ground, her eyes getting misty. Taking a deep breath, she raised her head and turned around, moving closer to the Shadow. "Yeah, I kinda get it now. You _are_ me. A side of me I couldn't forgive, that I tried to ignore, but you still exist. You're a part of me."

Shadow Chie gave a tiny nod, smiling at it's human counterpart before bursting into blue flames and rising into the air. A yellow humanoid figure with metal plated armor and boots hovered above them, their face hidden by a large silver mask with one large horn rising from their forehead, long black hair waving elegantly behind it. In their hands was a staff with two slightly curved blades at the ends. Their body faded and turned into a card which floated down to Chie and lit up with blue flames before disappearing completely.

A tense silence filled the air, soon broken by Chie's stuttering. "I-I, um… it's true that part of me feels that way, but I wasn't lying about being friends with Yukiko!"

"Like we didn't know that already." Yosuke said, sagging to the floor and holding his leg, slowly healing under the Dia spell. "You'll probably be exhausted from getting your Persona in a few minutes." Almost on cue, Chie fell to her knees panting, eyes closing as she tried to breathe in. "Or now, now's good.

"I'm okay, just a little tired." Chie tried to stand up, only to lose her balance. Thankfully, Teddie was prepared and caught her before she could completely fall, but he soon had to sit her down due to his weak physical strength.

"We need to head back." Yu said, taking a breath before slowly inching his way down to sit. "Yosuke and I are in no condition to fight, and while he can heal his injuries, I can't. Plus, Chie, you're in no shape to run around kicking at Calm Pesces either. You're probably more liable to collapse than Yosuke and I."

"I-I never said I needed a break! I can still keep going-"

"But we can't, and you are not running off on your own again, especially not now." Yu argued, giving Chie no room for argument.

"It's not that we don't think you can." Yosuke said. "It's just, we have to save Yukiko-san, no matter what. Now that you have the power, you can fight with us. It'd be much better for us all if you had your strength back. That's why we're saying we should go back and regroup."

"But Yukiko's still in here, isn't she? I-I… if those were Yukiko's true feelings, then I have to tell her something. I'm not as strong as she thinks! It's because she was with me, because we were always together, I was able to act that way. If we weren't, I'd…"

"Well, you need to get your strength back! Then you can tell her!" Teddie exclaimed, resting one of his paws on Chie's shoulder. "Yuki-chan's normal. The Shadows don't attack normal people. They only attack when the fog lifts here, and that's when it gets foggy in your world."

"So Yukiko-san will be safe until then, right?"

"I'm positive."

"So if we leave to recover, she'll be fine." Yu said, trying to relax his muscles slightly so that the cuts on his arms and legs could heal properly. "In other words, Chie, she'll be okay for now. It's not going to rain soon, I checked the weather reports before I left my house."

"Don't you remember how it was foggy in town on the days the announcer and Senpai died?" Yosuke said, noticing how Chie's eyes widened when she put the two ideas together.

"You mean, they were killed by their other selves?" Receiving a nod from the brown-haired boy, Chie's face hardened again. "But I can't turn back now! We've come so far! Yukiko's still here! She's all alone, she must be so scared!"

"And we'll go even farther tomorrow once you've rested up and Yosuke and I have fixed ourselves up." Yu said, pushing himself to his feet once he saw Chie's resolve start to break. "This castle seems to go on forever, it's clearly bigger than we originally thought. If we keep going, we might collapse in the middle of a fight, and then what would we do?"

"Th-That's…!"

"You don't know what's up ahead!" Yosuke shouted, finally fixing his leg to the point where he could walk, and turning his attention to the argument in front of him. "The enemies might be even stronger. If we push ourselves too hard and get wiped out, who'll save Yukiko-san then? We can't fail, no matter what. Am I wrong?"

Chie clenched her jaw and swallowed her pride, letting out a sigh. "Alright." Taking the helpful hand provided by Teddie, Chie got to her feet, stumbling slightly as her center of gravity shifted. The other boys got up and slowly moved to the door, Yu staying close to Yosuke in case his leg gave out. "I'm sorry about before." Chie continued. "I shouldn't have rushed in like that by myself."

Giving a small smile, Yu turned and waited for the other duo to come closer. "Let's go together next time." He then turned to Teddie. "Do you have any ways of getting us near the entrance of the castle, or near the stage?"

"Yep! I managed to make these while you guys were gone." Teddie held out his paw, holding three seed-like objects with a tiny sprout coming out of the sides. "They're called Goho-Ms, when you break one you'll end up right outside the castle, or wherever else you are. It'll bring everyone with you, too, so you just have to break one of them."

"Thanks, Teddie." Yu said, taking the three seeds. Putting two in his jacket, he held the third one in his hand, ready to break it.

"We're definitely gonna save Yukiko-san, right?" Yosuke asked, holding out his hand with the palm facing the ground.

"Right!" Chie said, placing her hand on top of the other boys. Teddie let out an excited yell and placed his on top, which was then covered by Yu's larger one. With a smile, Yu crushed the Goho-M in his hand, and with a flash of light, the four were whisked away to the entrance of the foreboding castle.

* * *

"My head feels like it's about to split open," Chie said, wincing as another painful throb wracked through her head. "Are you guys okay?"

"It's thanks to these." Yu answered, tapping the frames of his glasses. He and Yosuke had put them on once they entered the TV world, eliminating the physical and mental effects caused by the fog. They had arrived at the stage a few moments prior, deciding to sit down and make sure that they had enough energy to walk through Junes and get home without opening their wounds more. Yosuke was nearly completely healed, the constant casting of Dia spells doing him wonders, but in exchange he was exhausted mentally from having to focus. Yu was doing relatively well, being the least injured of the two, but even then the cuts and bruises were still bothering him.

"That's right, you're not wearing the glasses." Yosuke said, sitting against one of the spotlight fixtures bolted to the floor.

"Oh yeah, what's with those glasses? Did your eyesight go bad?"

"Man, you didn't notice until now? How panicked were you?"

"Tum da dum! I got a pair ready for Chie-chan, too. Here you go!" Teddie sang, holding out a pair of yellow glasses with oval shaped frames. Chie hesitantly took the eye wear and put it on, gasping when the migraine she'd been dealing with ever since they left the castle vanished, along with the fog.

"Whoa, what the-! This is awesome! It's like the fog doesn't exist!" Chie said, turning around in place as she stared at the stage unhibited.

"Why didn't you whip those out earlier if you had them?" Yosuke asked, glaring at the anthropomorphic bear.

"I made them right now, you didn't tell me she was coming! It was all so sadden- I mean, sudden!" Teddie argued back, and Yu couldn't help but chuckle at his angry expression.

"So that's the trick. I was wondering how you guys could see where you were going." Chie said, turning back to Teddie. "Hey, is it alright if I keep these?"

"Fo' sho!" Yu grimaced, whatever cuteness Teddie had gained was lost to him when the bear used horribly butchered english to answer, the meaning clearly lost on the other two.

"We'll have to stop here today, but I'll be back with these puppies!" Chie pumped her fists into the air, grinning at the other teens with excitement. "You guys better not come here without me, got it?"

"Yeah, let's all promise each other. Nobody goes in alone, it's way too dangerous. If we don't work together, we won't be able to solve this case or save Yukiko-san, right?"

"Right." Yu nodded. "Let's also agree that we can't go in without a weapon, going in alone is stupid, but you can last for a little while if you can fight. If you can't, it'd be even harder to stay alive. Teddie, are you okay if we keep our weapons here?"

"Mmhm! I'll keep a close eye on them!" Teddie said, holding out his palm so that Yu could place his katana in it. Chie took of her shoes, nodding her thanks at Teddie, and Yosuke put both of his natas on the ground next to him.

"Alright, so from tomorrow on, we'll try and come here as much as we can after school. That includes days off." Yosuke said, and then he turned to Yu, scratching at the back of his head. "Hey, would you mind being our leader? You were the first to get this power, and you're way better in a fight than either of us. I think it's best for all of us if you set the pace of the investigation, and we follow your lead. I'm cool playing second banana."

Yu's eyes widened in shock, taking in Yosuke's embarrassed expression, and then at Chie's supporting smile. It was a sudden shift, going from 'slightly normal high school student' to 'Persona wielding teenager solving a murder case,' but it seemed that everyone was comfortable with the decision, even Teddie gave him a smile. "Leave it to me."

"I had a feeling you'd say that." Yosuke replied, giving Yu a lopsided grin. "I mean, I'm more the advisor type, y'know? An ideas man, not an executive."

"I'm with Yosuke." Chie said, standing up and moving to Yu, offering her hand, who took it and got up onto his feet. "If you're the one calling the shots, I'd feel a lot more comfortable about this."

"I'm with Yosuke too. If you're the one calling the shots, my pillow will be a lot more comfortable at night." Teddie said with a blissfully happy expression. Chie flinched, jumping in the air and spinning around, forgetting that the bear was there.

"Teddie, would you please stop talking? I'm really on edge right now…" Teddie looked shocked before hanging his head, the situation causing Yosuke to stop laughing as he got to his feet. Unanimously appointed as leader, Yu simply shook his head and smiled at his friend, not noticing the sound of something smashing filling the air until the world froze, a card forming in the center of their odd grouping together.

The card flipped over, showing the same decorated side as the one when he had changed to Izanagi the first time in the TV world. A voice echoed through his head, the blue aura surrounding the card flickering with every word 'spoken.'

**Thou art I, and I am thou.**

**Thou hast established a new bond...**

**It brings thee closer to the truth.**

**Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Fool Arcana.**

The card faded slowly, time resuming again, and Teddie tapped his foot on the ground twice, the stack of televisions appearing once again. Yosuke let out a sigh, almost like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "Okay, let's get some rest for today so we're ready for tomorrow on. Oh, and don't forget to check the weather forecast. It gets foggy after a lot of rain, so let's keep an eye out."

Chie and Yu nodded, bidding a quick goodbye to Teddie as they left the TV World, exhausted but proud at their progress.

* * *

_Takeout for a third time this week._ Yu sighed mentally, grimacing as he looked at the poorly cooked sushi, and instead decided to just finish his bowl of rice. _I'm going to have to make food for the family at some point, but not tonight. There's no way I can do it without tipping off to Dojima that something's up._

Yu had come home prepared to take care of his injuries much better than the quick trip to the cramped restroom with a medicine kit from Junes. Those plans were quickly derailed once he saw Dojima's car parked in the driveway and, knowing that his guardian was now home, he soon went to making sure that the bandages wrapped around his legs and arms weren't visible. Takeout now wasn't that surprising, as Nanako had took him that she only knew how to make simple breakfast foods, but having it multiple nights in a row was worrying. Takeout wasn't healthy, especially not three nights in a row.

_If I can, I'm going to make something tomorrow for them. We need something that's actually healthy._ The jingle from the news show started up again, and news reporter began to talk about the local news in Inaba. Thankfully, no more news on the murders had been revealed or reported, yet, which was why Yu was looking at Dojima's stern expression with curiosity.

"Hey. Mind if I ask something?" Dojima asked, turning to Yu, who subconsciously shifted under the intense gaze. "You aren't getting involved with any strange business, are you? What happened at the station this afternoon, it's still bothering me." Yu froze, meeting Dojima's gaze with a neutral expression, hoping that his uncle would drop the conversation.

Instead, the lack of an answer only seemed to unnerve him further. "Is there… anything you're not telling me?"

_Fuck, of course he won't drop it, he's a cop._ "Of course not." Yu lied through his teeth, hoping that his wounds wouldn't bother him anymore throughout the night.

"...I see." Dojima said, accepting his nephew's response. "Well, it's just been nagging at me, that's all."

"What's wrong? Are you fighting?" Nanako asked, putting down her chopsticks. Dojima and Yu immediately stopped looking at each other, trying to smooth over the tension between the two.

"No, we… we're not having a fight." Dojima said, wincing as his daughter pouted and crossed her arms over her chest.

"This isn't the police station." Nanako said, and Dojima let out a sigh. He quickly regained his composure, and turned back to Yu, who was trying his best at keeping a bored expression. Izanagi, on the other hand, was glaring down at Dojima, angry that their partner's parental figure was causing him a large amount of stress.

"I agreed to look after you, so don't get yourself involved in anything that could get you in trouble. Got that?" He scolded Yu, who nodded briskly to get the the older man to drop the topic. He let out a sigh, turning back to the takeout platter in front of him and digging in, Yu playing with the rest of his rice, no longer feeling hungry.

_"And now, our weather forecast."_ Yu's attention quickly turned to the TV, putting down his bowl. _"Due to high-pressure fronts from the west, that sunny spring-like weather will stay with us for a while longer."_

Nanako tilted her head, staring at the TV with a confused expression before turning back to Dojima. "Is this lady the one who decides the weather?" Seeing her family's confused expression, she continued. "'Cause when she says that it'll be sunny, it always is."

"Uh, she's not really deciding it…" Dojima said, giving Nanako an awkward smile as he tried to figure out how to explain the science behind a weather forecast before realizing it would be too complicated for her. "Nevermind."

Nanako turned her gaze back to the TV, watching the weather report continue. Yu let out a sigh of relief when he saw that the weather report said that rain wasn't due for at least a week, ensuring Yukiko's safety, if only for a little while. Standing from the table, Yu suppressed a wince as he turned back to Dojima. "Sorry, but I think I'm going to go to my room a bit earlier tonight. I have to get homework done. Thank you for dinner." Picking up his plates, Yu moved them to the counter to be cleaned later before making his way up the stairs, absentmindedly scratching at the poorly made bandages.

His room was sanctuary compared to everything that had happened today, and Yu pulled out a med kit that he had stored under the futon to begin to really look over his wounds. Izanagi could only do so much, and Yu could just… tell that the Persona was not happy about his current wellbeing.

Most of the small cuts had already been healed, his arms and legs being relatively unscathed. His back, on the other hand, was much harder to deal with. Nearly every movement that stretched his muscles would cause at least a slight twinge of pain through his body, and when he looked in a mirror he could see why. Large cuts covered swelling and bruised skin, and Yu couldn't help but groan as he realized that he couldn't effectively put anti-bacterial cream on the lacerations which, at this point, could possibly scar.

Izanagi looked to the tube of cream on the coffee table and nodded, managing to make themselves tangible enough to pick it up and squeeze some into their hand. Moving over to Yu, the Persona carefully began applying the cream, using gentler motions to apply on the larger cuts that his partner couldn't reach. Slowly but surely, Izanagi finished their work on the wounds, and backed away as Yu let out a relieved sigh, picking up a wrap of bandages and slowly wrapped his chest. It wasn't the greatest idea to do this, but the last thing he wanted was to smear the cream over his shirt and sheets, and band aids would not cut it. Later, he also wanted to put a bag of ice on some parts of his back to reduce the swelling, which would most definitely be down completely by morning. For now though, making sure that the cuts were dealt with was his first priority.

Before he could start scheming on how to sneak some ice from the freezer downstairs, he heard Nanako calling for him from downstairs. Moving carefully as to not aggravate his back too much, Yu went down the stairs, hearing Nanako simply say "The phone." before holding out the landline to the older boy. Raising one of his eyebrows, Yu took it and then held it to his ear, only to pull it away when he heard an annoyingly familiar voice come through the line.

_"It's me, Morooka."_ The teacher said after clearing his throat. _"I have something I've prepared just for you. I was going to deliver it to your house, but the situation's changed. I need you to come pick it up."_

"Okay then, where are you?"

_"Hold your horses, I was getting to that! Damn teenagers these days. I am in front of the gas station at the shopping district, you got that? No hurry up and come pick it up!"_ The line clicked, indicating that Morooka had hung up, and Yu let out an irritated sigh.

"Who called you just now?" Dojima asked, idly sipping his coffee and reading the newspaper. "Don't tell me you're planning on going out at this hour."

"No it was my homeroom teacher. He said that he had something to deliver to me, but now I need to pick it up at the gas station in the shopping district."

"Your homeroom teacher wants to see you? ...No, this is you we're talking about. Doubt you'd make up that odd a lie to sneak out. Well, I understand. Go take care of business and hurry back home. You… do know how to get to the shopping district from here, right?"

"Yes, I remember the way. Yu said, putting his hands in his pockets as he opened the front door, swearing at Morooka for forcing him to go on a ten minute walk to get a package when he needed the rest.

_Well, I can't do anything about it now._ Yu lamented, rolling his head to work out a kink that had formed in his neck. _But still, I'd rather not have to do this._

"If you wish, sire, I could simply burn his shirt." Yu practically jumped out of his skin, turning his head so quickly he thought he would get whiplash as his gaze landed on the tiny devil walking beside him. Looking around Yu noticed that Izanagi was nowhere in sight, and Ukobach let out a small chuckle. "Do not fret, my lord, this is a normal side effect of carrying so many of us at once. Occasionally we will switch places to take a… reprieve, so to speak. As you used the Fool much more than I today, most of your injuries transferred over to them, and as such, they are very tired. I have taken their place temporarily, as I prefer to stay hidden in your mind for the most part."

"I…" What exactly do you say with a personification of your personality that is taking the shape of a small, green-skinned devil that barely reaches your knee caps? "I'm… still getting used to this."

"I can tell, my lord. I can also tell that you are not fond of this 'Morooka' character. It seems foolish that you, someone much more powerful, has to abide by his rule."''

"It's kind of like what you were saying about Beelzebub earlier. You said you didn't like being under his control, but you didn't have a choice. It's kind of the same for me with King Moron."

"Speaking of the human, there he is." Ukobach stated, ten minutes passing far too quickly for Yu's liking as he grimaced at the slouched form of Morooka scolding a first year student. Frowning at the brash display, Yu took his time walking to the teacher, only for the Devil Persona to dart ahead, his eyes glowing a bright blue before he was forced to stop as his senses were switched dramatically.

"But it's not a lie, I really am on the way home from cram school! I can go home by myself! I wasn't trying to stay out and party!" Said the girl, clutching at the close-to-bursting bookbag in her hands like it was a lifeline as Morooka ranted.

"Please, I know what all you teenage girls really want. Just out for a night of partying and sex, and letting your grades plummet to the single digits!" Yu could… feel, if that was the proper word, Ukobach quickly become annoyed with his teacher, and he saw the small devil raise his ladle to the back of his suit top.

"Morooka-san!" Yu shouted, severing the connection as soon as possible, shifting his teacher's attention from the teenage girl to him. Ukobach grumbled from his spot, lowering the ladle slowly. When the girl's gaze landed on him, he subtly gestured for her to run, and she turned on her heels, going faster than Yu thought possible.

"Dammit! Get back here you-!" The girl had already turned the corner, disappearing from Morooka's sight before the teacher could lecture her further. "Damn kids…" he muttered before giving his full attention to Yu.

"You're here. Sooner than I expected!"

"Well, my uncle was able to understand why you would summon me."

"Right, here you go." Morooka held out a, very poorly wrapped, package. A sticker on the top right had the kanji for Yu's name, but other than that Yu had no idea what this could have been. "This is the school jersey I got for you! Go on, take it! And now that you've got it, get the hell out of here!" Deciding to not anger the teacher further, Yu turned around and took off back to the house at a quick pace. Ukobach grumbled beside him, muttering obscenities at the old man beneath his breath.

"What was that earlier?" Yu asked. "Where your eyes glowed, and then I could see through your perspective?"

"Oh, that. It is called sensory swapping my liege, but I figured that someone like you would already know about this. It only shows that you cannot assume one's knowledge prior to getting to know them."

"Well, I know _of_ it, I've done it with Izanagi before. I just didn't know if it was a normal thing or if it even had a name."

"Yes, well, sensory swapping is exactly as it sounds. You swap sense with your Persona, and if you have a very strong connection, your persona and you could trade places and be able to do it without another person knowing that the change had happened, besides the glowing eyes, of course. Most users who do it for the first time lockup, and it is understandable. Most Personas are used to a much different body than your own, so they tend to only transfer sight or hearing at first, and then move on to muscle movement and the like. In both cases, you probably had only traded the senses I mentioned before, but if you do it with Izanagi in… say, a month or two, you could swap places for a day."

"Interesting." Yu said, the rest of the walk held in silence until the returned to the house. Yu was frustrated at having to take the short walk, but the information he received was well worth it. If Ukobach was to be trusted, then it could also mean that Yosuke and Chie could potentially do it. The little devil was talkative, but he wasn't completely malicious. At least, not to _Yu._ The teen would have to wait and see how the devil would react to the other two, but for now, he was content with the other's company.

"You're home. So, what was it?" Dojima asked, noting Yu's sigh and the package that he placed on the table, wrapped in thin paper.

"The school jersey uniform." Yu said, moving to the kitchen and opening the refrigerator, trying to see if there was anything edible inside. There was a bottle of water he had picked up from Junes the other day, as well as some ingredients, so he went to work chopping some vegetables for a salad. He wasn't hungry now, but tomorrow at lunch, he would be.

"You were given a school jersey? That's it?" Dojima said, pushing aside the wrappings and staring at the dull blue fabric of the somewhat familiar track suit. "He could've just given you that at school."

"I think he might hate me." Yu said, turning on the tap and cleaning off a head of lettuce. "I mean, I haven't done anything, but he might just hate kids from the city."

"If that's the case, why don't you try talking to him? I'm sure that you can clear this whole mess up with a quick chat."

Yu let out a dry chuckle. "Trust me, Dojima-san, if you knew Morooka, then you'd see it's not that easy."

* * *

Chie Satonaka was expecting very little when she woke up at 2 am. Her dog lay at the foot of her bed snoring, the moonlight was peeking through the window, giving her room an eerie lighting as she slowly peeled off her covers.

Why did she wake up again?

Oh, right, her bladder was about to explode. Now aware of what was bothering her, Chie left her room with haste, managing to flick on the bathroom lights before pulling down her pants and sitting on the toilet lid. Letting out a sigh of relief, she put the back of her hand on her forehead, checking for the low fever her father had felt earlier. Her little brother had made a (surprisingly good) bowl of ramen for her, which had helped improve her mood greatly. She had felt dizzy throughout the night, waking up confused and disoriented multiple times before fitfully falling asleep again.

If Yosuke went through all of this and didn't tell her, she was going to beat the crap out of him when she inevitably went to school tomorrow.

Flushing the toilet, Chie washed her hands and turned off the lights, slowly walking back to her room. She let out a yawn, annoyed at the stack of homework she had to do for school.

So distracted by the thought of homework and the angry teachers she would have to inevitably face, she nearly missed the six foot tall, yellow skinned, armor clad woman trying to pet her dog.

Nearly. Chie froze, staring in shock at the masked… thing tried to pet her dog, only for her gloved hand to phase through his chest. Keeping her eyes locked on it, Chie took every measure to ensure that her footsteps were silent as she went back to bed, pulling the covers up around her as she fell into an uneasy sleep.

Yu and Yosuke had some explaining to do tomorrow morning.


	10. A Caged, Deadly Bird

**Monday, 4-18-11. Weather: Sunny Throughout the Day**

"I wonder how Chie's doing." Yosuke said as he leaned against Yu's desk. Jiraiya and Izanagi hovered nearby, the former idly twirling his shurikens while the other impassively watched the two boys interact.

Yu looked away from the door, giving his friend a confused look. "You mean you didn't call her?"

"Too much stuff happened yesterday. I thought that I'd just let her be alone for a bit, I know that's what I wanted when I first got my power. Still, I hope she's back to her usual self. Seeing her depressed is just… jarring, y'know?"

As if on cue, the classroom door opened with a slam, and a flustered Chie ran in. Her eyes swept across the room before landing on Yosuke and Yu, and her face was overcome with rage. She stomped over to the two boys, Yosuke making the smart decision to hide behind Yu's chair to save himself from her kicks.

"You! You guys didn't tell me that this would happen!" She shouted, stomping her feet against the floor as she pointed at the figure that had phased through the door behind her. They straightened out their back, standing proudly at Chie's side with their head raised. Jiraiya moved closer, seemingly interested in the other Persona's long hair. "I woke up and this thing was at the end of my bed. I could barely sleep last night knowing that thing was there!"

"Chie, calm down." Yu said, standing up and placing his hands on Chie's shoulders. "It's okay, this is normal after you face your Shadow."

"How is this normal?! Am I going to have this floating… _thing_ constantly following me around for the rest of my life?" Yu thanked every deity he could think of that it was still early, and that there were barely any kids in the classroom.

"Look, Chie you just need to breathe and-!" Yosuke let out a choked noise of pain and doubled over, clutching at his stomach. Yu and Chie both looked around to see her Persona's foot lodged into Jiraiya's stomach, a comical expression of pain forming on their mask. Apparently the female Persona had had enough of Jiraiya messing with their hair, and delivered a quick dose of pain to show that they did not appreciate the attention. Yu winced in sympathy, moving his chair around so that his friend could sit down.

"Chie," Yu continued, letting Yosuke recover his breath. "This is… normal. At least, so far it's normal. It happened to me and Yosuke, and now it's happened to you. They're not going to hurt you, and as far as we know we can't get rid of them or anything like that."

"So it's gonna be stuck with me forever?" Chie asked, much calmer than when she had entered the classroom.

"For now, we're assuming so, but we're the only three that can see them. They're mainly just a sign that you can enter the TV and have faced your Shadow." Yu said, moving Chie over so that she could sit down in her chair. "It's not a bad thing, and you aren't crazy or something like that. You're completely fine, okay?"

Chie exhaled shakily, taking quick glances at her Persona, who was glaring down at Jiraiya. "Tomoe."

"Huh?"

"Tomoe. It's its name." Chie said, nodding to herself. "Okay, I think I can deal with this. Sorry for flipping out it's just… not natural, I guess."

"Don't worry, I had an even worse freak out." Yosuke ground out, standing from the chair and holding his stomach and slowly walking to the door. "I'm gonna go down to the nurse's office and get an ice pack, I'm pretty sure this is starting to bruise."

A long stretch of silence came between the two teens after the magician left the room, Yu shuffling to his seat as Izanagi settled down at his usual spot in the back of the classroom. "Hey, um," Chie started awkwardly. "Thanks for saving me. Yosuke's cool and all, but there really is something different about you. I feel like you won't let me down." She turned and looked at Yu directly, giving a genuine smile at the gray-haired teen, and Yu repeated the gesture. Time slowed to a halt, the smash of glass breaking filled the air as a card manifested between the two. It was decorated with golds, reds and blacks. A knight (or maybe a king, in this context) was in a chariot being pulled by two sphinxes, the Roman numeral **VII** proudly portrayed at the bottom.

**Thou art I, and I am thou.**

**Thou hast established a new bond**

**It brings thee closer to the truth...**

**Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Chariot Arcana.**

With that, the card faded away, and time started up again with Chie leaning back into her chair and letting out a content smile. With his mind now much clearer than it had been before, Yu realized that he did not have Chie's contact information. He paused once he got his flip phone out, not knowing how to ask her for her number. He didn't do this at all in the city, preferring to keep his contact information to himself or to his teachers if he were out sick. Asking directly would lead to him getting a swift kick from the trigger happy girl beside him, but just asking for the number for the investigation seemed ruder than anything.

"Excuse me, miss? My sire here desires for your 'number,' whatever that means." Yu's head darted up in shock at Ukobach's raspy voice, the small devil sitting on his desk, twirling his ladle around lazily. Chie stared at the Persona before jumping to her feet, grabbing Yu's book bag and slamming it down on the devil's head. Yu let out a hiss and placed his hand over the area that stung slightly, Ukobach comically falling on his back with a stunned expression.

"What the _hell!"_ Chie yelled, sheepishly laughing after realizing that her outburst had drawn the attention of various classmates. "Uh, sorry! Really, _really_ gross bug." At that moment, Jiraiya floated through the floor, the two slits on the ear-like structures of their mask glowing a faint blue.

"I wanted to bring this up when we would go to Junes after school." Yu started, rubbing at his head. "I can use multiple Personas. This one is called Ukobach, and he's currently the only other one I have besides Izanagi. He's also the only one that can talk."

"Yes, miss Chie." Ukobach continued, moving to the side of the desk that was farthest from Chie's wrath. "I was simply asking for my master since he was nervous about asking you for your number." Chie blushed at the statement, quickly taking Yu's phone and typing in her number before handing it back to him. Whatever conversation that could have been salvaged was soon ended by Morooka barging into the classroom, attendance book held tightly in his hand as he began roll call.

* * *

"Hello and good afternoon, all! My name is Mr. Kondo, your P.E. teacher! But since no one at this school teaches English, I'll be doubling up my roles!" Mr. Kondo said with obvious enthusiasm, seemingly oblivious to the bored expressions of the teens of class 2-2. Yosuke had come back to the classroom shortly after lunch, an ice pack held to his stomach as he nibbled on his leftovers, staying silent and only letting out a few groans throughout the rest of the day's lectures. For most of the morning, Yu and Chie had been keeping up a silent texting conversation, planning for the afternoon ahead of them. After filling in Yosuke on their plans, the bell had rang for the afternoon lessons, and Yu winced at his teacher's revelation.

_Seriously? No one here teaches English? Well, if he's been assigned the job, then he has to know a minimal amount._ "...Don't be so disappointed. In fact, I've spent some time overseas! One week of vacation time, to be exact! But that's more than enough to teach a class!" He began to laugh loudly, and Yu tried to shrink down into his seat, knowing that he'd probably know more English than his teacher ever would.

"We'll start with the basics of the basics: the English alphabet! It starts with the letter A, then B, then C, and then 23 more! Maybe that was a little too basic?" Taking note of the indifference of his students, Kondo's face hardened and his eyes scanned the classroom. "All right! I'll give you an alphabet-related pop quiz, then! Let's see… Narukami!"

Yu inwardly groaned as he stood from his seat, Kondo smiling at him. "The word 'alphabet' comes from the words 'alpha' and what other one?"

_You've got to be kidding me_. "Beta." Yu said, rolling his eyes at the simple question. It wasn't much of a pop quiz if the answers were from the previous year's curriculum. At least, for Yu it was simple knowledge that he had learned from his parents and English tutors.

"Good! That's correct!" Mr. Kondo said, smiling at the fact that someone other than him knew some English. "It comes from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, alpha and beta! By the way, any set of western European characters in a specific order is called an alphabet. In Japan, when we say 'alphabet' we're talking about the English alphabet, but it doesn't always mean the English one!"

Yu tilted his head and sat back down, quickly jotting down what Kondo had said. Despite knowing that his teacher wasn't an English expert, it was better to know something than nothing.

* * *

First order of business for after school was for Yu to go to the Central Shopping District. Chie and Yosuke would head to Junes and get some drinks for the three of them to enjoy before they left for the TV world, but Yu would check for new weapons or armor while selling the materials they got from the Shadows. Teddie had picked them up as they were fighting and chasing after Chie, and then had given them to Yu simply because the bear didn't have any use for them. Daidara, on the other hand, had mentioned to Chie that if she had any materials he could make new merchandise.

Unfortunately, nothing had come from what he sold, so Yu took the money and left the store. With stop number one done, Yu took out the Velvet key and went to the blue door floating above the ground. The sound of an opening door was a relief and Yu sat down in the velvet-covered seat in the limo, Igor greeting him with his standard creepy smile.

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room." Igor straightened in his seat, greeting Yu with his standard creepy smile. "Well, then. I shall tell you about how I can offer you my 'assistance.' I can gather a number of the Personas you possess and provide you with the ability to 'fuse' them. I have suggestions for the creation of powerful Personas that may be of use to you. If you want to summon a new Persona that you have not registered, then simply choose the two Personas you wish to fuse and allow me to use my abilities. I will let Margaret explain how to use the Compendium." He turned to the older woman next to him, who turned to Yu and propped up the large tome in her hand.

"The Persona Compendium has many aspects surrounding it. It registers all of the Personas in your possession and all of their abilities. After registration, the Persona can be summoned with the same abilities as many times as you like. However, the stronger the Persona, the greater the cost to summon it will be, but registering a Persona is free of charge."

"So to get a Persona back, I have to pay?" Margaret nodded, and Yu let out a sigh, Ukobach and Izanagi forming in the seats beside him.

"Sire," Ukobach began, a large smile on his face. "I have a plan for us, and how you can fuse use to gain more power!" Yu glanced at Igor before turning to the blond devil beside him.

"I'm listening."

"First fuse together your guardian and I, then summon us back from the Compendium." Yu nodded and turned to Igor, who nodded at him. Two cards formed on the table in front of him, flipping over to show Izanagi and Ukobach before they glowed white. Floating into the air, they spun around rapidly before colliding together, a new card forming, and with that, a new Persona appeared. A tall woman, her dark blue hair tied up and dressed in a simple white outfit with a blue gem decorated belt around her hips. A see-through veil curled around her arms and upper body, streaming from the simple crown on her head, and a gentle smile on her face.

"I am Apsaras." She said, her voice almost immediately soothing Yu's nerves. "I will lend you what power I can offer." Her card floated down before bursting, her form fading away in a gentle blue light. Yu shook his head, turning to Margaret who opened the Compendium, summoning back Izanagi and Ukobach after Yu gave her the correct amount of yen.

"Now," Ukobach said, unperturbed by his time in the limbo-like state. "Fuse the three of us together and summon your guardian and I back." Igor looked up and nodded, knowing what Yu wanted done, and the three cards holding the Personas materialized in front of him. They formed a triangle and glowed a bright white, spinning together and violently colliding with each other to form the final Persona.

In the place of the three cards was a woman dressed in old battle armor, a white cloak draped over her shoulder and two short swords were held in each of her hands. A silver mask covered her eyes, each end framing her long blonde hair with two small silver wings.. She rode on the back of a horse with a red pelt and pink mane, the ends of the hairs fading into a light yellow, and glowing blue eyes.

"I am Valkyrie!" She proclaimed, raising her sword above her head. "You shall witness my power with your own two eyes!" Her form burst out into a blast of blue, and Margaret summoned back the last two Personas, Yu sighing in relief as he felt the familiar presences settle back into his mind. With that, Yu stood from his seat, giving the residents of the Velvet Room a thankful nod, and left.

* * *

"Man, this place is not come any easier to come back to." Chie said, her glasses resting on the bridge of her nose as she stared up at the foreboding structure unimpeded. She then turned her head as two flames burst in her peripheral, and Yu and Yosuke stood dressed as their Personas. Chie shuffled awkwardly, trying and failing to bring forth the card that represented Tomoe's strong figure.

"What's wrong?" Yu asked, moving towards her. His shoes - or, at least, Chie thought that they were shoes, but now she's not so sure - tapped against the stone path as he stood in front of her.

"I can't - I don't know how to do… whatever you guys just did." She replied, glaring at Yosuke when he let out a series of chuckles, muttering that it was an easy thing to do.

"Maybe you need to be in a different scenario for it to work." Yu questioned, turning to face the castle. "Either way, we need to go in. Can you fight?"

"Course I can fight!" Chie exclaimed, her pride coming back full force at the question. How could she not fight, she's been serving kicks and punches to the local bullies ever since she was three! With that exclamation, Yu nodded, and he, Yosuke, and Teddie began to run inside, Chie keeping pace with the large bear.

They went through the first door on the left which, unfortunately, slammed right into the face of a Shadow. It split into a Lying Hablerie and a Calm Pesce, which were soon blown back by a Zio and slash attack from Yu.

That's how most of the fights continued, if Yu didn't land his attack, than Yosuke would rush in instead and end the Shadow's brief existence. Chie stood on the sidelines for the most part, and she did want to jump in and kick ass, but she was slower than the two boys. Coupled with the fact that she knew that, if she transformed with her Persona, she would have to adopt a somewhat new style of fighting, she stayed near Teddie for now.

It was at the second floor where things took a turn for the worse. Teddie had sensed someone on the other side of the door and, thinking it was her Shadow coming back to finish what it started, Chie rushed ahead again and pushed open the doors, much to the chagrin of the others. She went in with her hands clenched into fists, glaring in anger at whatever was in the room.

Her heart stopped when she saw the familiar black hair of her best friend. "Yukiko…?"

"Yukiko-san! Are you alright?" Yosuke asked, dropping the transformation in case she flipped out like Chie did when she saw them while facing her Shadow. To their surprise, the taller girl barely reacted to their concern and didn't turn around to face them.

"Yukiko, what's wrong?" Chie asked, moving forwards in concern at the lack of response. Yukiko just barely turned her head to face her -

And glowing yellow eyes met a deep brown.

Yukiko's normally elegant face twisted into a grimace, insane laughter leaving her lips as she turned around fully, her pink dress barely making a wrinkle at her movements. Chie backed away, seeing a disturbingly familiar purple aura surrounding the look-alike's body. **_"Oh my! Special guests? I wonder how they'll play into all this! Things are really heating up!"_**

Shadow Yukiko lifted the microphone in its hand closer to its lips, smiling wickedly at her 'guests.' **_"Okie-dokie! I'm going back to hunt for my Prince Charming! Oh, where could he be? This place is huge! It's so- exciting, but it makes it so hard to find him! Oh, maybe he's playing hide-and-seek in the fog! Ready or not, here I come! Let's go further in then, shall we?"_** Above her head, almost like in a low-budget TV show, appeared a logo saying 'Princess Yukiko's Hunt for Her Prince Charming!' It was fully accompanied by sparkles flying off of it, and a silly pose from the Shadow.

Chie didn't know what caused her gut to twist uneasily at the Shadow's speech, but she certainly didn't like it. With a growl, Chie lifted her leg and did a roundhouse kick, breaking a card that had formed in midair. With a blast of icy-blue flame, she felt Tomoe's power and abilities flow into her veins, as well as her physical appearance. Her hair changed color and length, a mask fitting snugly over her head as her body was covered in a yellow track suit, samurai armor hung from her hips. A double-bladed staff held in her gloved hands, and once the flames faded, Chie thrust the tip of one of the blades under the Shadow's chin. "You're not Yukiko. Who are you?"

The Shadow barely reacted to the threat, pushing the blade out of the way of the microphone and continued to speak with its distorted voice. **_"What're you talking about? I'm Yukiko, and Yukiko is me."_**

Chie let out another growl at the Shadow, and pressed her blade against the fake rose that adorned the top of the dress, right above the center of the Shadow's chest. "Where's the real Yukiko?"

The near-silence of the room was filled with the sound of voices, and while they were unintelligible, anyone could tell that they were filled with anger. "What's with these voices?" Yosuke asked, lifting his kunai in front of him defensively.

"The Shadows are getting agitated!" Teddie exclaimed, looking around the room to try and see any black globs of goo dripping out of the wall, a clear indicator of the Shadow's distance from them.

**_"Well, I'm off again!"_** Shadow Yukiko said, either ignoring or completely oblivious to Chie's threats as she spun around to face the door behind her. **_"You'd better be waiting with bells on, my dear Prince!"_**

"Hey, wait!" Chie shouted, fully prepared to launch herself after the Shadow if it weren't for the fact that the tip of a sword was pressed against her gut. She looked down, prepared to yell at Yu for threatening her with his katana, only for her eyes to widen as she saw a woman riding on the back of a horse. Noticing that Chie's attention was on her, the woman lowered her sword and stared into Chie's eyes.

"I know you want to run off, I would too if I were in your shoes, but you cannot defeat that opponent alone." She said, the horse neighing as it turned to Yu, lowering its head in respect. "Chieftain, we should pursue this demon and end its life while we have the opportunity."

The imposing teen nodded, floating above the ground and floating forward, Yosuke and Teddie trailing behind by only a few inches. "C'mon, Chie. You can definitely help us out now that you got the transformation down."

Chie stared after the trio as the moved past her, not fully comprehending what her friend had just said. She raised the hand that held the bladed staff and twirled it expertly, Tomoe's knowledge and skills aiding her with the small trick. Smiling behind the blackened visor, Chie kicked off the ground and floated, taking a small victory at the feat, and sped up in order to catch up with her allies.

She would rescue Yukiko, no matter the consequences.

* * *

The second, third, and fourth floors passed by with little problems. Whenever Yu or Yosuke failed to take out a Shadow, Chie did incredibly well. She would either kick them, stab and slash at them with her staff, or cast a new spell: Bufu. Her attacks were mostly physical, and she definitely increased their pace through the castle.

But at the fifth floor, Yukiko's Shadow decided to have a bit of fun.

Every few feet, a flash of bright light would surround the four and send them to a random part of the floor. It threw them off and, in an effort to try and solve the confusion, Yu would keep a door open after they entered it to keep track of where they had already been.

After the third attempt, the group was relieved when Teddie stood in front of a door and proclaimed that he could smell Yukiko beyond it. Chie charged forward immediately and kicked it open, her staff at the ready to beat the stuffing out of Yukiko's Shadow before it could touch her friend.

She nearly dropped it a moment later when she saw what was really in the room.

Yu and Yosuke both gaped as Yukiko's Shadow chuckled. Standing, or rather, floating right behind her was a massive armored horse, with an even more imposing knight sitting atop it. In its left hand was a javelin, rusted and covered in red stains. **_"My Prince wouldn't lose to guards such as this, correct?"_** The larger shadow charged as Shadow Yukiko was whisked away in a plume of purple smoke, her laughter echoing through the room.

"Move!" Yu shouted, the three persona users charing out of the way of its attack. A horrifying scream rang out, and an orange sigil lit up beneath it.

"That Shadow's called an Avenger Knight," Teddie shouted from his hiding spot. "And it just cast a Tarukaja, which raised its attack!"

"What do we do?" Chie shouted.

"Attack it with whatever spells you have, see what it's weak to, and then hit it when it's down!" Yosuke shouted, throwing out a Garu. It grunted in pain as its armor was disconnected from the blast, but it only lasted for a second before it re-arranged itself.

"Ukobach!" Yu shouted, summoning the devil. Obediently, the small devil threw out a fireball, and Yu smirked behind his mask as the Shadow screamed in pain and fell to the ground. Taking Yosuke's suggestion, Yu and the others charged forward, slashing and dealing as much damage to the Avenger Knight before it could recover.

It wasn't much. Growling in annoyance, the Shadow surged upwards and raised its javelin. It glowed red for a brief instant before trying to stab Chie, who barely managed to dodge the quick movement.

"It just cast Red Wall; it's resistant against Agi now!" Teddie shouted, and Yu cursed under his breath.

"Bufu!" Shards of ice formed above it before crashing down. The Avenger Knight didn't even flinch as it turned its attention fully in Chie, ramming the head of its horse into her chest. While Tomoe's armor did, in fact, keep her relatively protected from the attack, the force of her body slamming into the wall did not bode well. Chie moaned in pain, and Yosuke quickly sent out a Dia to try and heal her.

Yu smashed another card in his hand, Izanagi's presence dominating his mind as he cast a Rakunda. Small chips in the Shadow's thick armor grew, and Yosuke took this opportunity to charge ahead, slashing precisely at the weak points. The Shadow collapsed, and with Chie temporarily out of commission, the remaining boys darted in, slashing away at the Shadow. While the damage wasn't much, it was better than sitting around and doing nothing.

"We need to wait until the Red Wall falls, then I might be able to kill it with Ukobach's Agi."

"We also need Chie to get up. She can help us deal more damage to this guy." Yosuke said, yelping as the muzzle of the horse tried to bite his arm. The Avenger Knight drew back and stabbed at Yu, who yelled out when he felt the Javelin pierce his shoulder.

At that same moment, Chie recovered fully from her hit and rose from the ground, shaking her head to clear it. She growled in annoyance and charged full speed at the Shadow, twisting her body almost like a ballerina midair and slashing at it with her staff. The Knight recoiled from the hit, the butt of the horse slamming into the wall and shaking the foundation.

The fight seemed to go on for almost an eternity. The Shadow was incredibly resilient, but it would occasionally fall down from strong attacks. Just as the Red Wall faded, Yu cast an Agi with Ukobach, right as Yosuke threw out his shurikens, and the Avenger Knight dissolved into a puddle of black sludge with a scream.

Chie fell to the ground, panting. Her transformation faded in a blast of blue flame, and Yu and Yosuke both followed suit. The five floors had drained them of energy, but the fight with the Avenger Knight had them practically falling asleep from exhaustion. They knew that they wouldn't be able to last another fight without collapsing entirely.

Yukiko's voice rang above them, and Chie grimaced at the Shadow's holy-than-thou tone. **_"If you really are my Prince, then we will surely meet again. I am but a trapped soul, I cannot leave this place even if I wished."_**

"I don't sense her anymore." Teddie murmured. "Do you guys want to head back? I'm sure we've got a long ways to go, so we shouldn't push ourselves too hard."

"Teddie's right." Yu said, using his katana as support to push himself up. He took out one of the two GoHo-Ms. "If we burn out, we're of no use to Yukiko. Heading back now is the safest option."

"Hold on." Chie said. She stood up and walked to the center of the room where the sludge was dissolving and, with a grimace, she pulled something out. With a disgusted expression, she wiped off the rest of the tar on her skirt and held up a small, glass key with the kanji for 'Snow' engraved on the side. She nodded after and put the key in her jacket pocket and nodded at Yu, who broke the GoHo-M and sent them to the outside of the castle.

* * *

**Tuesday, 4-19-11. Weather: Sunny Morning and Cloudy Afternoon**

Yu yawned, still tired from the combination of him not sleeping well after he had studied the night prior, as well as his exhaustion from fighting. He had a close call with Dojima as well, who had not only noticed his nephew's tired expression, but an ugly bruise on the back of his neck. Thankfully, he had acted fast, and said that he had tried out for the school soccer team, but now that mean he would have to actually attend the club and go to practices (if he made it in) to make his lie a little bit more concrete.

_It's a good alibi, at least, if we go to the TV World. I can just say I have practice._ As Yu pulled on his jacket, his cellphone began to ring. Mumbling tiredly, he flipped it open and hit the accept call button, thinking that Chie had messaged him to ask if they were going in today.

Imagine his surprise when the deeper voice of Margaret came through instead. _"Hello. I realize this is sudden, but I'm Margaret. We met at the Velvet Room the other day."_

"Uh…" Yu said. "Good morning?"

Margaret chuckled. _"Yes, good morning. There is one important point I forgot to warn you about, so I thought it best to contact you immediately. Going to save your friends is a selfless and noble deed. By all means, we encourage and support you in regards to this matter, but to proceed too hastily in that quest will mean facing one battle after the next. Though you may be pressed for time, devoting yourself to battles will not quench your heart's yearnings."_

_"The bonds created through Social Links are another important means of strengthening the power of your Persona. Do not hasten heedlessly through your days, and remember the importance of moving at a sustainable pace. Please remember that. Well then, if you'll excuse me."_

Not a moment later, the line went dead. Yu pulled the phone away from his ear and hit the end call button, putting it into his back pocket. Rubbing at his eyes, Yu picked up his bag and, noticing the time on the small clock by his TV, hastily ran down the stairs and out the door.

* * *

**_"...In other words, she's a manager who's still in high school."_** Chie yelped and looked around the sixth floor of the castle. For some reason, when they had opened the door, they had wound up on the fifth level of the castle. The glass key Chie picked up from yesterday was needed to unlock the door leading to the next flight of stairs. The moment the key had fit in, the large, ornate doors were covered in a thick layer of ice and shattered, allowing them to proceed. However, the castle was still filled with enemies, and it certainly didn't help that voices had begun to echo around them. **_"Now that has a nice ring to it, let's see if we can interview her. Excuse me!"_**

**_"Shut up!"_** Yukiko's voice exclaimed, a wave of hot air blowing down the hall and nearly toppling the teens.

**_"H-Hey, Yukiko-san. Mind if I ask you something? Is it true that announcer's staying at your family's inn?"_ **

**_"Shut up, shut up!"_ **

**_"Someday, though. That aside, wow! You're looking gorgeous in that kimono. You must have a lot of male visitors."_ **

**_"Leave me alone! I'm sick of it…"_** The voices faded out, and the temperature in the room slowly fell. Teddie chimed in from behind them, saying that they were getting closer to Yukiko, and Yu sighed in relief. The castle was, for lack of a better word, oppressive. As they climbed, he had noticed that it had gotten hotter on every new floor. Before, it had been nearly unnoticeable, but coming onto the sixth floor from the very cool entrance, it was a stark difference.

For the rest of the sixth floor, Yu and Yosuke both noted how Chie would dart ahead and viciously slash at Black Ravens and Bronze Dice, even if she were weak to their attacks. Yosuke could only cast a few Dias to heal her injuries to assist, and Yu would take a few hits for her in an effort to minimize the damage she would take.

On the seventh floor, Chie's agitation grew even higher as Yukiko's Shadow taunted her. **_"Hasn't my Prince come yet? My dear Prince, please, hurry and take me away! Somewhere… to a world where no one knows me."_**

"It's close! We're right beneath it!" Teddie cheered, and Chie only growled as she ran ahead.

"Ugh, why would you tell her that, Ted?" Yosuke reprimanded, throwing a few Garus under his feet to increase his speed. Yu couldn't tell if he was trying to keep up with her or stop her completely, but he knew that, either way, if he didn't interfere, there would be a fight. In a split-second decision, he picked up Teddie and also darted ahead, cursing as his currently equipped persona, Sandman, was not built for making sharp corners, nor going all that fast.

He found Chie and Yosuke at the top of the stairs that lead to the next floor, a large pair of doors behind them as they argued very, very loudly.

"Teddie, is Yukiko behind that door?"

Teddie hummed in affirmation. "I can sense her. She's beary, beary close Sensei!"

Yu nodded and put down his friend. He hovered over to the other two and forcefully shoved them apart, electricity running up and down his back as he let Izanagi take the lead. "Enough. Yukiko is just beyond that door, we can't break down now. We need to focus and save her, not argue."

Chie had enough decency to look down, ashamed. Yosuke simply grumbled and cast a Dia on all three of them, healing their previous injuries. "You're right, as usual. C'mon, we've come this far, we can't give up."

Chie nodded and turned to the door, bracing herself as she pushed it open. The group darted in, only to stop when they saw Shadow Yukiko sitting on a throne at the top of a small flight of stairs. A red tapestry hung behind her, a pair golden wings sewn in the center of it, like a royal crest. From the ceiling hung two, golden bird cages, and kneeling at the very bottom was a distressed Yukiko, dressed in her kimono.

"Yukiko!" Chie shouted, starting to run forward, only to be tugged back by Yu. He shook his head, gesturing at the exchange between the two beings in front of them.

**_"Oh?"_** The Shadow began. **_"O-h, what's this? Three princes are here to see me? My, my! Are you the surprise guests who came in late? Aw, I wish I'd gotten a better look at you!_**

**_"My, it's getting crowded in here. Why don't you and I go somewhere else? A land far, far away, where no one knows me. If you're my Prince, you'd take me there, won't you? C'mon, pretty please?"_ **

"Oh, is this "Scoring a hot stud"?" Teddie asked innocently from the tail of the group.

Either ignoring or just not noticing the bear's question, Chie mumbled to herself. "Three princes? Wait, does that include me too?"

"Duh, the third one's gotta be me!" Teddie said, pouting as he stared at Chie.

"I seriously doubt that." Yosuke whispered, and Yu had to restrain the urge to chuckle.

**_"Chie… Yes, she's my Prince."_** The group looked up in surprise, the girl in question sputtering at its confession. **_"She always leads the way… Chie's a strong prince, or at least, she was."_**

"Was?"

**_"When it comes down to it, Chie's just not good enough! She can't take me away from here! She can't save me!"_ **

"S-Stop…" Said Yukiko, pushing herself to her feet. The girl wobbled in place, her time in the castle having clearly drained her of her energy.

**_"Historic inn? Manager training? I'm sick of all these things chaining me down! I never asked to be born here! Everything's decided for me, from how to live, to where I die! I'm so sick of it! To hell with it all!"_ **

"That's not true." Chie wanted to charge in, to attack the Shadow and help her friend, but Yu's grip on her shoulder held her back.

"What are you doing?" She hissed out, frost forming on her blades to make them sharper. "We can end this fight, right here, right now!"

"She needs to confront her Shadow." Yu said calmly. "If not, she'll be even more of a wreck once she comes back. For all we know, she might not function normally if she doesn't accept her Shadow after coming in here."

**_"I just want to go somewhere far away, anywhere but here. Someone, please, take me away, I can't leave here on my own. I'm completely useless."_ **

"Stop. Please, stop."

**_"I have no hope if I stay, and no courage to leave. So I sit on my ass hoping that someday my Prince will come! I don't care where we go, anywhere's fine! As long as it's not here, I don't give a damn! Historical tradition? Pride of the town? What a bunch of bullshit!"_ **

"How dare you?" Yukiko choked out, glaring at her doppelganger.

**_"That's how I really feel, isn't that right, me?"_ **

"N-No." The group started, Yosuke's warning drowned out by Yukiko's defiant shout. "No! You're not me!"

Shadow Yukiko grinned maliciously, golden eyes flashing as the aura surrounding it rose and flickered, brushing the top of the ceiling. She laughed maniacally, hands covering her mouth as her hair and dress were pushed around by the force of her transformation. **_"Ah, this feels wonderful! It's building, more and more… If this keeps up, I'll… I'll-!"_**

Her laughter rang around the room as a dark fog spread out around her, making the room impossibly hotter than before. The sound of something being lowered by a chain rattled the stone walls, and immediately Chie darted out to cover Yukiko. The fog receded, and Yu and Yosuke moved into a defensive posture when they saw a massive golden cage-chandelier hybrid hanging right in front of them. Bursting from the cage was a massive, red feathered bird, the coloring on its chest much paler-almost peach in color-in the shape of a heart. Where its beak and head should have been was Yukiko's face, along with her long hair, draping down the bird's neck. Yukiko screamed as one of the cages by the throne descended and practically scooped her up, closing and locking its door.

"Yukiko!" Chie shouted, but her voice was labored, the heat of the room seeming to weigh her down. "Hang in there, we'll save you!"

"We have to stop it, that girl's in danger!" Teddie said. "I'll try to get Yukiko-chan out of that cage, you guys stop the Shadow." Yu nodded, and as the Shadow let out a soul-ripping cry, the three teens charged at it. The lit candles on the chandelier practically exploded, the force and height of the flames forcing them back. Once the flames died down, pink feathers descended from the ceiling, and the Shadow's voice swept over them like a wave.

**_"I am a shadow, the true self. Now, my Prince, why don't we dance and make merry together?"_ **

"Like hell!" Chie shouted, turning her gaze towards the terrified Yukiko. "Don't worry, we'll save you, I'm right here for you!"

**_"Oh really? Then I'll make sure to give you plenty to deal with!"_** Yu and Yosuke charged, trying to slash at the bird's wings. However, the flames from the candles, combined with the heat of the room and the fact that they leapt up any time they came close made it difficult. Yosuke tried throwing his shurikens and, while they did get through the flames, the cage swung and the door to it closed, acting as a shield to protect its prisoner.

Rolling her eyes at the boys' attempts, Chie raised her arms and spun her staff around, slashing down and causing shards of ice to pierce the Shadow's body. It let out a cry and fell, the flames of the candles dying once Shadow Yukiko fell out of her cage, stunned.

"Here's our chance, let's go!" Chie said. Using the opportunity to their advantage, the three immediately rushed the Shadow and bombarded it with attacks, aiming at its wings and back. With an angered yell, Shadow Yukiko pushed them off and flapped its wings viciously to push them back. It turned and dove down at Chie, its talons outstretched. The girl managed to dodge and then deflect both of them, but at the cost of losing her staff, which was flung into one of the many pillars in the room. Feeling vulnerable without her weapon, Chie raced after it, trying to tug it out of the solid stone.

Thinking on his feet, Yu turned to Yosuke and said "Cover me." As he smashed a card in his hand. His naginata disappeared, and Valkyrie appeared in a haze of white snow. She stood proudly next to him and then glared at the large Shadow. "What are you weak to?"

"Garu skills. Judging by her appearance, I'd say this Shadow's an expert with Agi." She turned to Yu, smiling. "Chieftain, would you like it if I crushed this little pigeon?"

"Most definitely." With a calm expression, Valkyrie raised her sword and then brought it down, a chunk of ice in similar size to the one Chie summoned smacking her out of the air. Instead of ordering the others to charge, Yu shouted out "Cleave!" and let Valkyrie rush in, her sword leaving a nasty gash on its belly while her horse's legs tramped on the Shadow's wings. Yosuke and Chie followed suit, the former throwing out both of his shurikens and having them slice at the shadow while Chie leapt up into the air and brought down her blade onto the joint connecting the left wing to the Shadow's main body.

Screeching in anger and pain, Shadow Yukiko threw off her assailants and clawed her way back up the chandelier. Her wing was limp against her chest, and she seethed in anger. She closed herself in her cage, a wall of ice-blue energy surrounding her as she burst out once more, a wall of fire flying from her wings as she screamed **_"Burn to Ashes!"_**

Thankfully, because of his Persona switch, Yu and Yosuke were only slightly burnt from the attack, but it had certainly dealt a lot more damage than the spells they had been casting. Chie, on the other hand, screeched in pain and fell to the floor, curling protectively as Yukiko laughed and dove down, slashing at her with her talons.

"Chie-chan's weak to Agi! You need to protect her if the Shadow uses its magic!" Teddie shouted. The anthropomorphic bear was trying to crawl his way up a curtain to reach Yukiko's cage, but so far, all he had achieved was clawing the fabric to shreds.

"Shit, Dia!" Yosuke yelled, a light energy surrounding Chie and healing the worst of her wounds. Yu charged forward, acting as a distraction as he kicked at the Shadow with his feet. **_I may not have my naginata when I switch Personas, but this works out fine!_**

Shadow Yukiko chuckled at the teen's attack, swatting Yu away with its good wing. **_"We're not done yet. Show me this strength of yours!"_** The Shadow raised its head and screeched, her demonic, shrill voice freezing Yosuke in place with fear. **_"Come, my Prince!"_**

In a flash of light, a short shadow with a metallic body appeared on the ground next to Shadow Yukiko. It had a gray face that showed no expression, with short blond hair and a small crown its his head. It wore medieval-like clothes, and in its right hand, it held a sword.

"Ugh, you've gotta be kidding me!" Chie shouted. "Okay, I'll focus on Shadow Yukiko, Yu and Yosuke, you guys-" She turned her attention to Yosuke, who was shaking in place. "Y-Yosuke?"

The teen fell to his knees, placing his hands over his head. "I-I can't. I can't do this!" The transformation flickered, threatening to collapse completely as he turned around and started to run for the door.

"Hey, get back here! What's wrong with you?" Chie chased after her friend, throwing her spear down in front of him to halt his escape. "Why are you running? I thought you wanted to save Yukiko!"

Yu sighed and tried to pinch the bridge of his nose through his mask. Valkyrie stared at the two with a blank expression before turning her attention back to the battle. "I take it we are manning this alone, for now."

"Yep. Bufu!" This time, the ice shards didn't knock the Shadow to the ground, but it certainly made it retreat into its cage. Thinking quickly, Valkyrie froze the edges of the door over, temporarily trapping it. Yu took this opportunity to charge at the Prince, kicking at it and knocking it into a stone pillar. With a grunt, the weak Shadow faded almost instantly, and Shadow Yukiko burst from its cage, crying out in despair once she saw her Prince had disappeared.

**_"My prince! My dear prince!"_** She screeched into the air again, a flash of light appearing where the weaker Shadow had stood prior, but nothing came. **_"Why… Why won't he come?"_**

The screech had rattled Yosuke again, but this time, it snapped him back into reality. He turned to face the Shadow, shurikens glinting in the fire light. "Now's our chance, we have to attack while it's distracted!"

"Right!" Chie and Yu both threw out their respective Bufus, freezing the Shadow in place. The three then rushed it, slashing at its remaining wing until it too became disconnected. The Shadow screeched in pain, fluttering its way back to its cage. Its wings were matted with blood as it propped itself up in its cage. Its glare shot through their souls, but thankfully, none of them were affected like Yosuke was.

**_"Looks like I had the wrong idea. You're no princes-die, you worthless commoners!"_** She sent out a wave of fire again, but this time Chie managed to dodge, and Yu and Yosuke were only mildly hurt.

"You're the one who's gonna die!" Chie yelled, casting multiple Bufus in a row. The Shadow fell back into its cage, groaning in pain, but the cage door hadn't shut. Chie dashed in, stabbing it in the chest through the heart-shaped pattern of pale feathers, dying them red with its blood. The Shadow gurgled and let out a scream as the cage fell from the ceiling, rusting and rotting away as the familiar red and black particles rose to greet it.

**_"Why?"_** It bemoaned. **_"All I wanted was my Prince... Why, why didn't you come? My Prince, my Prince, save me from this hell..."_**

The particles rose and swallowed the demonic bird whole, and the violent Shadow was no more.


	11. A Sour Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now, some originality!

Yukiko groaned as she was pulled from the cage into a tight hug, Chie sobbing on her shoulder. Her blurry vision slowly focused on Yu and Yosuke, standing behind the two girls, all out of their transformations. As Chie frantically looked over her friend for any injuries, Yukiko's gaze wandered back to the throne.

She visibly tensed when she saw her Shadow standing impassively at the bottom of the steps. "No… I'm not-"

"We understand." Yosuke said, placing his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "You're not the only one like that, Yukiko-san. Everyone has something they can't show to other people, or don't want to admit to themselves."

"Yukiko…" Chie said, hiccupping as a new wave of tears began to fall. "I'm sorry. I was so self-centered that I never understood what you were going through. I'm your friend, and I still… I'm so sorry."

"Chie…" Yukiko said, shocked at seeing the normally tough girl openly sobbing.

"I was always jealous of you, Yukiko. You had everything that I didn't. That jealousy was like a wall, and I was so lonely! I wanted you to need me, but it was _me_ that needed _you._ I can't do anything right on my own. I've caused so much trouble for Yosuke and the others. If you weren't by my side, I… I wouldn't know what to do."

"I never saw the real you either, I was too busy trying to find an easy way out." Yukiko turned and walked up to her Shadow. "'I want to run away,' 'I want someone to save me…' You're right. Those feelings are part of me, too. I understand now, you're _me._ "

Shadow Yukiko nodded and smiled, slowly rising into the air as it burst into blue flames. In its place was a tall, humanoid figure, dressed in long boots and a short dress, the lower half silver and the upper half warm peach and pink, separated by a golden belt. Attached to their wrists were two disks, which held strips of pink metal, designed to look like flower petals. A mask covered their head with two yellow slits to see out of, and at the back two points were two elegant blossoms. The figure faded into a card, which rested in front of Yukiko and glowed a soothing blue before fading completely.

Almost instantly, Yukiko fell to her feet, her head drooping as she felt her exhaustion hit her full force. The group ran up to her, Chie supporting her back to her feet and Yosuke throwing a quick Dia to help her recover.

"Are you okay?" Yu asked.

"Yes, I'm just a little tired. You all came to rescue me?" A smile danced across her lips and she chuckled. "I didn't think I made that good of an impression."

"Well, Yosuke had to be convinced." Yu teased, laughing at Yosuke's indignant squawk.

"Thank you."

"Don't even mention it." Chie said, wiping her cheeks. "I'm just so glad you're safe."

Teddie used this moment to break up the heartfelt reunion. "So, who threw you in here?"

Yukiko tilted her head. "Huh? Who are you? Rather, what are you?"

"I'm Teddie! So, who threw you in?"

Yukiko looked down at the floor, her exhaustion evident. "I don't know. I think… someone called my name, but my memory's a blur. I can't remember who it was. I'm sorry, um, Teddie."

"No new clues…"

"Not necessarily." Yosuke said. "Now we know for sure that someone threw Yukiko-san in here."

Teddie grumbled. "Then it really isn't you guys."

"You still suspected us?" Yu asked, glaring down at the bear.

Teddie, thankfully, looked nervous. "N-No no no no no! Absolutely not!"

"You little-!" Yosuke made to punch the bear, but Yu held his arm back and shook his head, smiling. The brown haired teen sighed. "You're one lying sack of honey."

"Anyways, let's hurry back home. Yukiko looks exhausted." Chie said, keeping her friend's arm slung over her shoulder.

"Yeah, and it's probably late. I don't want to risk Dojima-san getting home early and chewing me out." Yu said, rolling his shoulders.

"I wasn't didn't sign up for any shifts, so my dad's gonna be pissed if he thinks I'm 'slacking off.' Man, what a letdown." Yosuke griped.

"W-Wait, you're leaving me here?" Teddie said, panicking.

"Leaving you? What're you talking about, you live here." Yosuke asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We're obviously going to use the GoHo-M and walk back to the stage, if you're thinking we'd leave you in the castle, Teddie." Yu explained.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"I'm sorry, Teddie. I promise to come again. So be a good boy and wait here until then." Yukiko said, pushing herself off of Chie and stumbling over to Teddie, patting his head. The bear let out an affectionate roar, and his cheeks were dyed red.

"Might not want to continue down that path, Teddie." Yu said warningly. "You might get a critical hit to the nads from Chie."

Yosuke groaned from his left. "Really? I said that once, are you going to make that a thing?"

"Hey, why not, it'll certainly lift our moods if we're down." Yu said, taking out the last GoHo-M in his pocket and breaking it in his hand, beginning the long trek back to Junes.

* * *

The Junes food court was empty, but that could have been entirely blamed on the fact that it was much later than they had expected exiting the TV. They had all agreed that Yukiko needed food before she was brought back to the Amagi Inn, or anywhere else where someone could spot her.

So they all chipped in and bought her a rather large plate of takoyaki balls, a bowl of rice, and a large bottle of water. Even though she was clearly starving, she ate slowly and carefully, trying to get as little soy sauce on her lap as possible.

"Do you remember anything?" Yu asked from across the table. He had called the house line, explaining that he would be late coming home because he was helping a few friends from class study for an English test the next day. Thankfully, Nanako was the one who picked up, and she agreed to tell Dojima if he came home before him.

"I'm sorry, but, no. Other than my name being called, I can't remember anything before my… Shadow came into the room."

"Well, no worries!" Chie assured her. "You're safe, and that's more than enough."

"But there's no mistake that Yukiko-san was… um… _attacked_ the same way as the last two victims. And I think the one we saw on the Midnight Channel wasn't the real Yukiko-san, but her Shadow. Maybe the things Yukiko-san was suppressing in this world took form in the TV?"

Chie looked up from her cellphone. She was also making an excuse for her mother, saying that she wouldn't be home until later because Yu had gotten lost and she needed to show him back home. It was a shoddy excuse but she would definitely buy it. "You know, Teddie was saying something like that."

"It's no use," Yosuke ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm just going round and round in circles. What kind of person could be doing this?"

"I don't know, but for now, let's call it a day." Yu said. "It's late, and Yukiko needs to get home and get some rest. She was in there way longer than the three of us combined, and she just gained her Persona."

"Yeah, we can go over it some other day. C'mon, Yukiko, I'll help you home." Chie helped Yukiko to her feet and around the bench, assisting her to the elevator. Yu turned to Yosuke, who adjusted the headphones around his neck.

"We'll take about all this some more once she gets her strength back."

"Yeah, and once the police are done talking to her. I can only imagine what my Uncle's gonna do." Yu scoffed and began to walk to the elevator, Yosuke walking right beside him. "By the way, you didn't seem that surprised when I summoned Valkyrie and Ukobach in the castle."

"Oh, that's because I kind of… heard it?" Yosuke shrugged. "I don't know how to explain it, but, when I was in the nurse's office, I was suddenly flying around the school and I saw that tiny guy - Ukobach, right? Anyways, I saw him on your desk and heard your explanation and then sat through class. The nurse said I fell asleep at one point, so I thought it was just me dreaming it up, but then Ukobach and Valkyrie came around in the TV world, so I figured that it was true."

"Yeah, it's called Sensory Swapping. I did it when you brought Chie and I here for lunch after school the first time." Yu admitted, then he hummed. "What's your excuse for your parents?"

"Oh, I haven't exactly thought one out yet. I've got no idea what I would say that would keep them from blowing up in my face."

"Well, why not come to my place? You can say I dragged you to my house to study for English. It would help back up my lie to Dojima-san as well."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, I was the one to get us both dragged down to the station on the first day."

"Hey, worst case scenario, you get kicked out. Besides, it'll probably be a good thing if I can convince him you're not as bad a kid as he thinks." Yu said as he pressed the call button for the elevator. "Cops tend to have pretty thick skulls, and it takes them a while to get used to stuff. I might as well bring you over to try and jumpstart that."

Yosuke hesitantly nodded. "Alright, but if he pulls out his gun collection, I'm running."

Yu couldn't stop laughing the entire trip home.

* * *

The door to the house slid open, and Yosuke jumped from his spot on the couch. Nanako cheered and stood from her seat at the table, and Yu had to practically leap across it to keep her tea from spilling onto the TV remote. "He's home!"

Nanako paused in her dash to the door when her father entered, along with another man. Nanako sheepishly sat back down, mumbling out a tiny 'hello' before sipping at her tea.

"Hi there!" The younger man said, waving at Nanako.

"We got off work at the same time, so I'm giving him a ride back to his place. I thought we might as well swing by." Dojima explained.

"Nice to meet ya. I'm Adachi, the guy who's been your dad's slave since spring."

"I can still work you harder, you know."

"Haha, good one, Sir! Ha… ha." Adachi scratched the back of his head and looked around the room, his eyes widening once he saw Yosuke. "Uh, hey, weren't you at the station earlier this week?"

"Uh…"

"He's a friend of mine from school." Yu said quickly. "He needed help with studying for an English test we have to take tomorrow, so I brought him here."

Dojima sighed, but Adachi smiled at his good nature. "Aw, man, do you know English that well? I was pretty cr- bad at it in school, but it's definitely a useful skill to have. You're also friends with Yukiko Amagi, right?"

"Yeah, did something come up?" Yosuke asked.

"They found her safe and sound! Tell all your friends at school."

"That's a relief." _Though we already knew that._ "Chie was going up and down the wall with worry."

"Yeah, for us on the force, too. But this doesn't mean the case is close, though. We were just questioning Ms. Amagi, but she says she doesn't remember anything that happened while she was missing. And we can't figure out her whereabouts during the missing period, either. It's like she really disappeared. It's all pretty fishy, if you ask me… like there's something else going on."

Dojima spun around and smacked Adachi on the back of the head, and the younger yelped at the hit. "Stop blabbering, dumbass!"

"S-Sorry." Dojima turned to the two teens sitting at the table.

"Ignore him. He's just spouting some wild fantasy. Yu, do you mind if I talk to you in private?"

Yu nodded and stood from the table, ignoring the small chit chat going on between the three as Yu and Dojima both went upstairs, the older of the two leading them into Yu's room.

"Listen is there something you're not telling me?" Yu froze, and his eyes widened. _Shit, how did he find out so fast?_ "I can understand if you aren't. I'm your uncle, and I'm a cop, but I've seen the bloody bandages in the bathroom's trash and considering that Yosuke and you were arrested yesterday… I just don't want you hanging around with the wrong crowd."

Yu could feel a weight lift from his shoulders. _Thank God, he only thinks I hanging out with the wrong people. Well, that's not much better, but still, it's certainly better than him thinking I'm trying to solve the murders._ "No, no that's not the case, Dojima-san. Yosuke and I are really just friends from school, and he brought me to Junes for lunch, because he gets a discount for being an employee. He was showing off the weapons, which were both fake, by the way, and was just saying how he'd beat up the murderer if he saw them. I'll admit, he wasn't thinking, but he's not a part of a gang."

"And the bandages?"

"Those were from before I came to Inaba. I fell down a flight of stairs and scratched up my leg pretty badly, and I just kept changing them in the bathroom. I probably should have cleaned it up better, but it's probably a good thing that you found them and not Nanako."

Dojima sighed. "I take it that you're going to continue to hang out with Yosuke?"

"Of course, especially if he needs help in school." Yu looked at Dojima's face and felt his annoyance grow. "Dojima, you really can't feel that he's _that_ bad, right?"

"Look, I'm going to keep an eye on him. I have to do it either way, considering that he had two weapons in a public area, and we're considering everyone for the murders. If I feel that he's an okay kid, then I'll let you hang out with him, but if he's not then you have to stay away from him, alright?"

Yu sighed, knowing that there was no way he could argue his way out of this. "Yes, that's fine. But trust me, you'll know that he's a normal kid."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Dojima said as he left the room, calling down the stairs. "Alright, Adachi, wash your hands! We're going to eat dinner, so they better be clean!"

Yu sighed. At least he was getting Dojima to consider a friendship. What was better, having an overbearing parent, or having parents that were barely there?

* * *

Yu's phone pinged on his desk. He looked up from his textbook and glanced at the screen, seeing Yosuke's contact name pop up.

[23:44] Yosuke: So what did ur unc want 2 talk abt?

Yu lifted his eyebrow, deciphering the somewhat confusing kanji that came on the screen.

[23:44] Yu: You text oddly.

[23:45] Yosuke: HEY im not changin

[23:45] Yosuke: But seriously, what was it?

[23:45] Yu: He asked if I was hanging with the wrong crowd.

[23:46] Yu: It was partially my fault. I was sloppy with hiding all of my bandages from the fights, and the arrest made him think I was part of a bike gang, too.

[23:47] Yosuke: PLZ tell me he doesn't think Im a member

[23:48] Yu: He said he's going to 'observe you' and if he thinks you're not a bad influence on me, then he'll 'approve' of our friendship.

[23:49] Yosuke: wtf Im not dating u.

[23:49] Yu: Yeah, but he's a cop. They are incredibly thick headed.

[23:50] Yosuke: U say that like uv met a cop

[23:50] Yu: Well, not directly.

[23:51] Yosuke: WAT

[23:52] Yu: I never committed a crime, but a majority of my friends from the city had. I know how to handle them based on what they've told me.

[23:53] Yosuke: Dude uv hung out w/ CRIMINALS

[23:53] Yosuke: Im friends w/ a thug

[23:55] Yu: Look, let's make a deal right now.

[23:56] Yu: If you take me to this amazing steak place you mentioned when I first got here, I will tell you about who I hung out with.

[23:57] Yosuke: U wont stab me?

[23:57] Yu: I promise I won't stab you.

[23:57] Yosuke: N u pay for ur steak

[23:58] Yu: I have enough money.

[23:59] Yosuke: Ok deal

[23:59] Yosuke: C u 2morrow prtnr!

Noting the time on his phone, Yu stood from his seat and stretched, bookmarking the page of his textbook and setting it aside as he turned off his desk lamp and went to sleep. In his mind, he dreamed of wresting Yosuke while they were wearing luchador masks and mawashis.

He woke up a little more than confused.

* * *

**Wednesday, 4-20-12. Weather: Cloudy Throughout the Day**

"Man, I'm glad we saved Yukiko. If it weren't for the fact I checked the weather report, I would think it'd be raining right now." Yosuke said, his hands behind his head as he stared up at the sky. Yu couldn't help but sigh, the somewhat dreary weather weighing down on him as he walked through the shopping district. Compared to the chaos two days prior, school was incredibly boring, especially since Yu already knew most of the curriculum from the school he went to before moving.

Speaking of chaos, Izanagi and Jiraiya were darting around high above them. Considering that Yu's Persona was rather reserved, he doubted that they were playing around. "What do you think their doing?" Yu said, pointing at the sky.

"Maybe practicing? I don't know. So long as they don't make me regret leaving my house, I'm fine with it." Yosuke turned to his left at a little indent on the sidewalk, a small stand, a soda machine, and a fold out table with two plastic crates with planks of wood acting as chairs. "Well, here we are, Souzai Daigaku."

"Huh," Yu said, shrugging as he put down his bag by the red crate. "It's not fancy, but hey, I can take it."

Yosuke looked surprised. "Really? Awesome, I'll order us some croquettes!"

After a few minutes, Yosuke came back with two plates. The boys dug into their food, and while it was a little tough to chew, the taste was well worth it. "These are _amazing._ " Yu said with his mouth full.

"Hey, don't become Chie, alright?" Yosuke joked. "Sticking chunks of steak in croquettes… Man, this really is the country, huh? Chie called this stuff 'tender and juicy,' what kind of teeth does she have?"

"You'd certainly never get this back in Tokyo, I can tell you that." Yu said just as two ladies passed by. They took a look at Yosuke and started to whisper to each other, just loud enough so they could hear.

"He's from Junes-Yasogami High School, right?"

"His classmate, Sato-san? Went out of business."

"This shopping district could disappear, and yet…" As the two left their range of hearing, the vending machine by Yosuke began to fizzle. Yu stood from his seat, fist clenched as he marched over to them, a small flicker of electricity dancing around his hand.

"Wha—hey!" Yosuke darted in front of him. "Partner, don't make a scene!"

"They shouldn't talk about you like that, especially not behind your back." Yu replied, trying to push past him.

"Please, Narukami, sit back down and eat. I'm used to it by now." If anything, that made the anger in Yu rise further, and the vending machine let out a loud _pop!_ as a soda can flew out of it and hit a street pole, the impact nearly causing it to explode. Seeing the desperation in his friend's eyes, Yu took a calming breath and sat back down at the table, idly poking at his steak.

"Is it tough?" He asked, and Yosuke looked up, surprised. Most people would have dropped it and let it be after that.

"Nah, it's not really. It's mainly my parents, I'm not personally involved. Anyways, there's nothing I can do about it."

"Haven't you tried speaking out against the company?"

"And risk my dad finding out? Gossip spreads like wildfire here, and I don't think there's anyone in Inaba who doesn't know me. If he finds out that I'm saying bad stuff about Junes, he'd have my head on a… what's it called, a pair?"

"I think you mean pike."

"Yeah, pike, there you go. It kinda sucks that I have to always mind my manners, not only about the company, but to everyone that badmouths it, too." The brown haired teen smiled cheerfully, showing a bit of light, despite his circumstances. Yu smiled back, understanding how he could feel that way about his parents. Again, the question in his mind arose over which was worse, overbearing parents, or non-existent ones.

The sound of glass smashing filled Yu's ears, and the tarot card for the Magician appeared in front of Yosuke. It glowed golden, the Arabic numeral 2 flashing in front of it before it spun and faded from sight. Only a second later, Jiraiya appeared next to Yosuke in a massive gust of wind that nearly blew their plates off the table.

"Hey! Watch it, Jiraiya!" Yosuke shouted, pulling his plate defensively close to his chest. "Ugh, I'm probably gonna get another. I think Jiraiya might've just blown a bunch of junk on my croquette."

Yu chuckled. "By all means, go ahead, but _you're_ the one who's paying for it."

* * *

It was many hours later, when Yu was lying in bed vainly trying to fall asleep, that his phone buzzed loudly on his desk. By the time Yu blearily crawled out of his futon, there were three notifications, all by a certain Magician.

[1:02] Yosuke: No fair! U didnt tell me abt ur city friends whore thugs

[1:02] Yosuke: WHO R not whore WHO R

[1:02] Yosuke: wow now theyre gonna beat the crap outta me

[1:03] Yu: Yosuke it's one in the morning.

[1:03] Yosuke: oh good ur awake

[1:04] Yosuke: but srsly y didnt u tell me?

[1:05] Yu: I'm not entirely comfortable with talking about it, if we're being honest.

[1:06] Yosuke: im sorry

[1:06] Yosuke: i pushed u to tell me that stuff when it was ur bsns

[1:07] Yu: It's fine, but I'm really tired right now and I want to sleep.

[1:07] Yosuke: right right sorry

[1:07] Yosuke: we can talk abt it when u r ready

[1:08] Yosuke: this doesnt change anything, right?

[1:08] Yu: No, it doesn't, but I need sleep for the football tryouts tomorrow

[1:09] Yosuke: ok, gd luck and gdnight!

* * *

**Thursday, 4-21-12. Weather: Rainy Morning and Fog throughout the Day.**

Yu yawned and stretched as Yasogami's P.E. teacher, Mr. Kondo, lead him to the field in the back of the school. The morning rain had, thankfully, ebbed away into a low fog and cloudy skies, and the football field had hardened up to the point where it was packed and slowly followed behind him, taking in the school as Mr. Kondo was babbling to himself excitedly about a new member.

_Why Yosuke texted me that early, I will never know._ Yu thought darkly, rubbing at his eyes.

"You cannot fully blame him, Chieftain. You chose to answer him, and that kept you up even further." Valkyrie responded, sensing her user's upset. "At the very least, you can go to bed early after studying tonight."

_Thank God for that._ Yu nearly bumped into Mr. Kondo when he stopped and turned to his right. There were five other boys, two with green shirts on while the rest had orange. As Yu zoned back in on the situation around him, he realized that his teacher was introducing him.

"...Alright guys, listen up. You have a new teammate! You all know Narukami Yu, right? He's from the city, so I'm sure he's got some moves he's just waiting to show off! I'd say this season's in the bag! I'm even thinking about making him captain!" Kondo laughed cheerfully, and Yu couldn't help but dread at the idea. He needed as much free time as he could to investigate the TV world, and becoming captain would _not_ be a good thing.

"The city, huh?" One of the boys whispered, and slowly, others joined in.

"I bet he played for some big team back home."

"Tch, look at him. City slicker probably thinks he's better than us."

"Yeah, we're just a bunch of hicks to him…"

"Do you even know how to play?" Valkyrie asked, and Yu subtly shrugged. _I played with a few people back in Tokyo, but never to the extent where I joined a team. It was mainly for fun._

"Here, why don't you say something to the team?" Mr. Kondo said, oblivious to the whispers and Yu's mental conversation.

The silver haired teen turned to the small crowd in front of him. "Nice to meet you." The other members slowly muttered their own greetings, but they certainly weren't happy. Some even sent him glares.

"Alright, let's start with a few laps!" Mr. Kondo said before blowing a whistle, and the other boys obediently moved to the track. "Narukami, why don't you just watch for today? Just keep in mind that practices are on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, but we don't practice in the rain. We take the week before exams off too, so make sure you use that time to study hard, okay?"

Yu nodded, thanking any deity he could think of off the top of his head for the chance to rest. Yu slowly closed his eyes once he sat down on one of the benches on the side of the field, the drone of feet slapping against the ground and Kondo shouting at them lulling him into a tentative rest. Time passed, and soon, Yu was being awoken by Valkyrie gently shaking his shoulder, and he opened his eyes to see another boy approaching him.

He was slightly taller than Yu, maybe by an inch, with short brown hair and brown eyes. He was covered in a thin sheet of sweat, and there was a bandage stubbornly clinging to his nose. He was the only other person on the field, and Yu felt his face heat up in embarrassment at getting caught taking a nap.

"Hey, man, I'm Daisuke Nagase. Second year, same as you. Nice to meet you."

"Ah," Yu hummed. "I hope you haven't heard anything bad about me."

"Nah, other than the fact you're a transfer and in King Moron's class. Bad luck getting put there."

"Yo, Daisuke, you waiting for a special invitation? Let's go!" Another boy came up, this one not dressed in the soccer team's uniform, rather, a white t-shirt and sweatpants. He had somewhat long black hair and silver eyes, but like Nagase, he was also sweaty. His attention turned to Yu, and he brushed some of his hair out of his eyes. "Oh, hey, you're the transfer student, right? Joined the soccer team, huh? Good, 'cause they need all the help they can get. Pretty weak team, know what I'm saying?"

"Shut up! Your team is just as lame!" Daisuke shouted before turning back to Yu. "This big mouth here is Kou. He's the same grade as us, but he's on the basketball team."

"Kou Ichijo. I'm the basketball team's up-and-coming MVP."

"Man, get your head out of the clouds."

"Hey, and that's not all! I'm pretty smart too, so if you need any help on your tests, I'm your man. How 'bout it, transfer student? You a smart guy?"

"Stop calling him that. The team's already giving him enough crap as it is."

"Ah, I can hear it now. 'Us country folk ain't gonna get shown up by no big shot city boy!' Gotta love those guys."

"It's not funny, man…"

"Well, as long as he's got some skills, they'll back off sooner or later. You played much soccer before, Narukami?"

Yu shrugged. "I've never played for a team, but I've done it a fair amount in the city."

Kou chuckled and grinned. "They this'll be easy, right?"

Yu grinned back, and Daisuke let out a small chuckle as well. In all honesty, he was relieved. The team had treated him so negatively, that he thought that all the other players would treat him the same. Like Chie and Yosuke, there was the sound of glass breaking, and time froze to a halt. A card formed in the middle of the trio, which depicted a woman with spindly hair reaching out to a lion. Above her head was the symbol for infinity, and a sun shone in the corner. In the trimming at the very bottom of the card was the Roman numeral **XI**.

**Thou art I, And I am thou.**

**Thou hast established a new bond...**

**It brings thee closer to the truth.**

**Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Strength Arcana.**

"Anyways, practice is over." Daisuke said, the halt in time not processing in his brain as he carried on. "We can walk home together, Narukami."

"Alright, I'll go get changed. See you in a few." Kou said, walking back to the school. Valkyrie watched their movements carefully, almost like she was examining them.

"These two have much internal conflict, but the one who truly needs your intervention, Chieftain, is your partner in sport. I am interested in seeing how this will turn out." Valkyrie smiled and turned her horse around, entering a slow gait as they headed back to Yu's house.

* * *

**Friday, 4-22-12. Weather: Sunny Morning and Cloudy Afternoon.**

"Hey, don't rush. If we go together…"

"Just leave me alone!"

Yu turned his head at the indignant shout, seeing a small boy and his mother going down the riverbank, away from the high school. A few moments later, Yosuke ran up next to him, adjusting the shoulder strap for his bag.

"Morning, Yu. What was that about? Is that kid already at that rebellious age? Well, the murders must have parents around here pretty worried."

"Even so, his mother certainly has her hands full." Yu replied, watching as Izanagi and Jiraiya interacted amicably above them. "I think they might have been sparing when we last talked, I woke up with fading bruises afterwards."

"Yeah, sorry about keeping you up, by the way." Yosuke hissed out, scratching the back of his head. "Anyways, we'll talk about the city once you're ready to talk about it. That sound fair?"

"Yes, I enjoy that option a lot more." Yu smiled, turning his attention back to the street.

"Oh, about the culprit," Yosuke began, turning the conversation back to its original topic. "I was thinking about it some, and I don't understand him at all. It seems like a lot of effort to dump someone into a TV. How is he doing it? The more I think about it, the more confused I get…"

"Well, I could enter the TV before I could use my Persona. I didn't even confront a Shadow. Maybe the killer's similar in that regard. For now, let's just wait for Yukiko to recover."

"You're right. Let's come back to this after we've heard Yukiko's side of things." Yosuke winced briefly and rubbed his arm, glaring at the Personas above him. Yu did as well, only to have his eyes widen at the sight of Tomoe (where Chie's Persona had come from, he had no idea) rearing for a kick at Jiraiya's gut. Izanagi intervened, but in the worst way possible, by jumping in front of Tomoe's kick and taking it for himself.

However, this also meant that Yu felt the full force of the kick as well, and he fell to his knees, holding his groin. Tomoe immediately backed away, but Jiraiya and Yosuke were laughing, the latter wiping away a tear that had began to form. "Oh, man, now you know what it's like to take a critical hit to the nads!"

"Shut… up." Yu ground out, slowly clambering to his feet and limping the rest of the way to school.

* * *

Thankfully, Yosuke wasn't too much of an asshole. In thanks for taking the hit, Yosuke decided to take him around town for a little walk. They passed through the Central Shopping District, and Yu had the rather rare opportunity to buy a few books to read with his new found wealth.

Eventually, the duo ended up in Okina Station, the one place in Inaba where Yu really hadn't been before, so Yosuke took it upon himself to act as his personal tour guide. The smaller of the two took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, smiling as he did so. "It's been a while since I breathed this kinda air! Y'know, I'm just a poor little city boy drawn to that urban scent." With a concerned expression, Yosuke turned to Yu. "Wait a minute, am I starting to sound like Teddie?

Smirking, Yu decided to tease his friend. "Hm, you're looking a little bit hairier."

"Now that you mention it, the foam in my facial soap this morning had-!" Yosuke groaned and shook his head, smiling good naturedly. "H-Hey, you're making me scare myself!"

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself." Yu said, chuckling. "I honestly still can't believe his name is Teddie, of all things!"

"Yeah, I can see why you laughed when we first met him. Well, that aside, what should we-"

Yosuke's phone let off a rapid series of beeps. With a slightly excited expression, Yosuke took his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open, only to scowl at it moments later. "More spam… Looks like someone got my address. I get a lot of spam."

"Eh, what can you do." Yu shrugged. Spam emails weren't a new occurrence for him, and one way or another, someone was bound to receive it.

"Yeah, I know. I don't wanna change addresses, so.." Yosuke sighed. "I haven't changed addresses since before we moved to Inaba. I mean, I might get a text from someone. It's hard to call, y'know? I fI called people just to tell them my number changed, they'd get annoyed. And some of them never planned to text me anyway."

Looking up, Yosuke saw Yu's concerned expression. "Oh but hey, don't look at me like I don't have any friends!" Yosuke replied, his smile somewhat strained. "Though to tell you the truth, I don't remember what we used to talk about. Can't really call 'em friends. Inaba suits me just fine. Plus, I got something I need to do there. I'm counting on ya, partner!"

Like at Souzai Daigaku, there was the sound of smashing glass and the Magician Tarot card appeared. The number 3 appeared on its face before spinning out of existence. Yosuke smiled once time resumed to a normal pace, turning to face the stairs. "Well, with that in mind, should we head back? It'd suck if something happened back there while we were over here!"

Yu nodded, but before he could say anything, Yosuke was interrupting him. "Wait, let's get everyone a souvenir, then go home!" The smaller of the two dashed up the stairs, Jiraiya in tow, as Yu stood at the bottom, shaking his head.

"It take so little to get him energetic, huh?" Yu said, turning to Izanagi. The Persona nodded before floating up the stairs at a more reserved pace beside his partner.

* * *

**Saturday, 4-23-12. Weather: Cloudy Throughout the Day.**

"Hey, did you hear?" Yu's head snapped up from his daydreaming when he heard the two girls in front of him talking. "There are some part-time job listings on the town bulletin board now! I wish there was one that would let me make some quick cash."

Her friend with braids hummed. "I don't think you have the diligence to handle a job that takes a lot of time."

"That's so mean! Maybe I don't, but, I bet I'll be more diligent if I get a job! I bet you wouldn't do too well with a job where you have to work with others because you lack understanding, huh?"

"I don't need to work, since I'm focusing on my studies. If my grades are good, I might be able to swing a raise in my allowance."

"That's cheating!" The chatty girl sighed. "I wish I was born into a rich family so I didn't need a part-time job. Or if I knew someone nice enough to buy me anything I wanted."

"I don't think that would've been so great. There's someone like that at our school too."

"Huh? _Oh!_ "

At that moment, a girl with long, nearly orange hair stomped past Yu and the girls, huffing in anger. Ignoring the odd moment, Yu tilted his head and thought.

_A part-time job, huh? Well, I might get new social links while I'm there. Plus, I'll get paid, which is always a good thing in my opinion._ Yu looked up at Izanagi, who casually floated overhead. "What do you think?"

The Persona looked down at Yu, and the teen got the distinct impression that, if he could see under their mask, he would see a faint smile. "Do what I think is best?"

Izanagi nodded as the school came into view, the bell chiming as any stragglers began to enter.

* * *

Ms. Sofue tapped her staff against the blackboard behind her, snapping most of the students awake. She cleared her throat and straightened her jacket, her booming voice echoing through the classroom. "Well then, I'll begin my lecture on the Age of Discovery, which occurred between the 15th and 17th centuries. Many types of vegetation were introduced to Europe during this era. Among them, tulips from Turkey deserve special attention.

"Gardening for pleasure was becoming popular, causing the price of tulip bulbs to rise. It was the world's first economic bubble incident: 'Tulip mania.' Along with the South Sea Bubble and the Mississippi Company, it is said to be one of the biggest bubbles in European history." Her gaze raked over the classroom, and a decidedly annoyed look crossed her face. "Hey! Mr. Hanamura, wake up! What was the first economic bubble incident in the world?"

Yosuke jolted up from his slouched position, his hand slamming against the table in his panic. "What? H-Help, Yu! What's this ergonomic bubble she's asking about?"

Rolling his eyes, Yu leaned back slightly and whispered: "Tulip mania."

"Uh… Tulip mania, right?" Yosuke was visibly relieved when Ms. Sofue smiled at him, letting out a large sigh of relief.

"So you were actually listening. Yes, it was tulip mania. Tulip bulbs imported into Holland became extremely popular, and prices jumped dramatically as a result. At its highest, a single bulb was worth the price of a luxurious house. However, once the bubble burst, prices fell once again, and the trade cities in Holland were thrown into confusion. Mr. Hanamura, do take care to not let that snot-bubble of yours burst, or you may also be thrown into confusion. Yes, Koboyashi? I can see your hand raised."

As Ms. Sofue turned her attention away from the middle row, Yosuke leaned forward and chuckled. "Thanks, Yu. I'll have to stay awake for the next one."

Yu turned his head, smiled, and began to jot down his notes quickly, knowing that Yosuke would eventually need to lend them later on.

* * *

Yu let out a sigh of relief once he entered the Velvet Room. Admittedly, he was nervous the firsts few times he had entered, simply because the car was such a surreal place to be (not even mentioning how he had felt when being brought there in his dreams). Now the supernatural room was starting to feel like a second home, like this was a safe place for him to stay.

"I assume that you have come here to fuse Personas, yes?" Igor hummed, gesturing at the table in front of him.

Yu nodded, the wide range of Personas he had collected in Yukiko's castle appearing in the car. It was somewhat cramped, but considering that they could make themselves as transparent as possible, it wasn't as crowded as one would think.

There was Izanagi, Ukobach, and Valkyrie, of course, but there was also a few new additions that came from beating the Shadows. In the end, Yu hadn't used them that much when fighting, especially when facing off with Yukiko's Shadow, but their presence was welcomed, none the less.

Ukobach rubbed his hands together, chuckling as thoughts whirred through his tiny mind. "Alright, sire, I believe I have a plan in place for getting you more power!"

Valkyrie huffed. "Must we listen to a demon such as him?"

"He hasn't led me wrong so far," Yu said, turning to Ukobach. "Okay, what do you have in mind?"

"Fuse together Sandman and Angel first. Then fuse together Izanagi and Valkyrie before summoning them back. After that, we will have more than enough power."

Igor nodded and the two Persona's cards appeared before smashing together. In the place of Sandman and Angel hovered a small girl with short golden hair curled around pointed ears. She was dressed in a green clothing with golden designs around her arms, chest, stomach, and boots that stretched up to mid-thigh. A pair of translucent fairy wings fluttered behind her, and her red eyes twinkled with mischief. "I'm Sylph. Um, I'll do my best, so please let me stick around."

She fluttered over to sit in Yu's lap as Igor repeated the process, this time with Izanagi and Valkyrie. The two cards spun wildly before colliding, a burst of flame rising around the Persona's body before dissipating. It was, for lack of a better descriptor, a humanoid horse. It had the fur coat, legs, tail, mane, and head of a horse, but the body and posture of a man-albeit, a severely starved man. The ribs were poking through, and its stomach was drawn thin. Blank green eyes peered at Yu as the horse-man snorted. "I am Orobas. Very well, you shall have my strength at your disposal."

Smiling, Margaret opened the Persona Compendium and brought forth Izanagi and Valkyrie once more after Yu had paid for them. Marie roughly coughed, catching Yu's attention. In return, Yu nodded and left the Velvet room, rolling his shoulders. Sylph decided to appear next to him, the tiny fairy-like creature fluttering idly by his shoulder. "Okay, where to?"

"North of here. Apparently, there are a bunch of jobs available, and I wanted to see if I could get one to help me get money."

"Yeah, you need to summon us back to get more fusions, huh?" Sylph floated on her back as Yu continued northwards. "Wow, I didn't know the world looked like this! There are so many people here, too! I can have a whole lot of fun while you're busy doing something."

"I'd rather you not." Yu muttered, looking to his left and seeing a girl murmuring as she looked over various papers pinned to a wall. Assuming it to be the bulletin board he was looking for, Yu moved closer and started reading over the jobs

"Let's see… Envelope constructor, translator, origami crane folder…" Yu hummed, before looking at the local options. He was probably going to take one of those jobs later, when he simply wanted cash, but he wanted to see if there were any jobs where he could interact with others.

Thankfully, there was one. "Assistant day care caretaker, huh?" Sylph hummed from over his shoulder and then let out a small chuckle. "Aw, I know that they won't be able to see me, but I can help you take care of them if you need me to!"

Yu mulled over the decision in his head before ripping the paper off the wall, taking note of what days he was needed. He could go Monday, Friday, and Saturday so long as it wasn't raining, and he got 4,000 yen as well. He flipped open his phone, seeing that he had more than enough time to hop on a bus and get to the center, and he still had enough Yen in his pocket for the fee. With plans for the rest of his afternoon in mind, Yu began walking to the southern end of the shopping district, reading over the sheet of job requirements in his hand.

* * *

**Port Island, Iwatodai Dormitory. Weather: Sunny Throughout the Day**

Junpei's crutches tapped against the concrete sidewalk as he made his way to his old dormitory. Hung over his shoulder was a duffel bag that had a few shirts and shorts he could wear, his baseball bat, catcher's glove, a baseball, and a few snacks for the trip.

Why Mitsuru had called him back down to Port Island, he had no clue, but he wasn't about to decline since he had strained his hamstring and was forced off his job teaching the little league team until it was completely healed. He had tried to keep his weight off of his leg for the most part, doing a few exercises, but this was a good way for him to stop worrying about the team's current progress without him there. He hoped that the assistant coach was doing well, those kids could be really rowdy sometimes.

Standing outside the entrance, Junpei could imagine what it was like two years ago when Akihiko found him wandering through Port Island, getting accepted into the dorm, pulling the trigger of his Evoker for the first time, seeing Hermes for the first time as he, Yukari, and Minato traipsed through Tartarus… That year was simultaneously the best and worst time of his life, what with the death of Shinjiro, Chidori, and Minato, and the fact that the world nearly ended, but he figured out what he was going to do with his life, and created a family made of possibly the weirdest people he'd ever met.

But that was two years ago. This was now, and he would finally be able to see all the remaining S.E.E.S. members and how they changed. It wasn't that he hadn't talked with them, or heard from them throughout years, but seeing them in the flesh was much different than seeing them through a computer screen.

The doors creaked as Junpei opened them, nearly losing his bag in the process. There was a chuckle to his right, and he turned and saw Akihiko leaning against the wall. The man had certainly changed over the years, apparently deciding less clothing was better and just abandoning shirts all together. He was wearing a pair of gloves, a cape, pants, a pair of boots, and a belt with a holster for a knife. To his surprise, probably because he had rarely seen his senpai without a shirt off, or because it had happened within the two year time gap, there were three long scars on his chest. "Careful, don't fall over now."

"Not my fault I'm on crutches." Junpei mumbled, fixing his grip and entering the dormitory, moving to the couch by the table and grabbing a throw pillow to elevate his leg. "The docs insisted I have them, but it just makes it harder for me to get around really. It probably puts more strain on my leg, really."

"Well, considering their patient, it makes sense that they'd give you the highest of cautions when treating you." Junpei's head turned towards the kitchen and he felt his jaw drop. Physically, Mitsuru hadn't changed much over the two years, which meant she was as stunning as ever, especially with what she was wearing. Hanging over her shoulders was a large, white fur coat, but beneath that was a skintight black suit with a belt that had a holster for a pistol, and two belts on the side of her left knee that held her rapier.

Trailing behind her by only a few steps was a sight that brought a smile to Junpei's face, Ken Amada and Koromaru. The twelve year old had hit a serious growth spurt, shooting up until he could just reach Mitsuru's shoulder, as well as letting his hair grow out. He was wearing the standard male Gekkoukan uniform, and in his hand was his school bag, probably having arrived back from school within the last hour or so. Koromaru had also shown a few signs of aging, a few wrinkles appearing on his snout, but other than that, the dog hadn't changed much, although, he had gained Ken's orange jacket to wear instead of the white t-shirt he had when the team had found him.

"Mitsuru-senpai! Looking fine as usual. Good to see you Ken, Koromaru." Junpei greeted, waving at them from his position on the couch. In his peripheral, he saw Aigis coming down the stairs. The android hadn't changed much over the years, but that was to be expected.

"Good to see you to, Junpei-san." Ken said politely, bowing slightly as he entered the common room. "Yukari-san and Fuuka-san should be arriving soon. They just called and said they weren't that far from here."

"And before you ask, Iori, we are not going to begin the meeting before they arrive. We need Fuuka here especially." Mitsuru sat down in the chair right of Junpei, looking down at the brace strapped around his pants leg. "What happened?"

"Nothin' serious, just strained my hamstring. Docs said I had to stay off it as much as I could so it would heal faster, so I'm off my job right now. Can't teach little league all that well if I can't run."

"Oh?" Aigis said as she sat next to Akihiko on the couch across from Junpei. "I thought that coaching didn't have a lot of physical activity involved."

"Yeah, but I'm teaching little kids who need to _learn_ how to play. Plus, I'm normally playing Umpire, and I can get hit by the balls thrown by the pitcher which could hit my leg, and even then, I can't crouch all that well."

"Oh, well, good to know that Stupei is still getting into trouble." Junpei twisted around until he could see the front door. Standing there with her hands on her hips was Yukari, who had indeed grown a bit since their third year at Gekkoukan. She had probably changed the least, keeping her hair short, her clothing style just as impressive, and her personality the same, spunky flare that made her stand out in the first place. Closing the door behind her was Fuuka, who had her grown out hair in a braid over her shoulder. She wore a thin, white dress and a pair of black stockings, as well as a pair of black loafers. Hung over her shoulder was a computer bag, which probably had her own custom-made laptop filled with her own original programs that Junpei couldn't hope to comprehend.

"Nice to see you to Yuka-tan! How's modeling treating you?" Junpei said, leaning down and resting his arms along the edge of the couch.

"Sometimes good, sometimes I feel like I'm being thrown around in a drying machine." Yukari said, pointedly taking the chair instead of the open seat next to Junpei. Fuuka and Ken took the remaining room on the couch, since they were small enough to fit, while Koromaru sat on the ground. Mitsuru pointedly remained standing, taking a manila folder that she had under her arm and opening it, pouring its contents onto the coffee table.

"Well, we certainly have a lot to talk about." Mitsuru began, crossing her arms as she looked at the newspaper cover that had come out of the folder. The title of the page read, in large letters: Serial Murder Case in Inaba.


	12. Hello, Puppy

Yukari leaned over, organizing the various papers and packets that had come out of the folder, and taking a small bit of extra care as to not jostle Junpei's foot and restraining herself from commenting on the foul smell that came from it. There were three official-looking documents, each with a picture of three different women with information beneath all of them. There was also the cover of a newspaper, the rest of the article on the inside detailing events that had happened in a small town called Inaba. Finally, there were documents by the Kirijo group of Shadow activities and Personas.

"Huh? Why did you bring all of this?" Akihiko asked, picking up the news article and reading it aloud. "Following the murder of Mayumi Yamano, Saki Konishi, a third year student attending Yasogami High school, was found dead on the fifteenth in a similar manner. Her body, like Yamano, was hanging from a higher elevation, this time a telephone pole, and according to the police, there is no discernable cause of death…"

"I heard about that from a couple of photographers at my job." Yukari commented. "One of them had a sister who lives in Inaba, and they were really worried that she might be targeted."

"But still, why are we holding a meeting about it?" Ken looked to Mitsuru, who had allowed the conversation to continue until attention had turned back to her.

"The main reason why I called this meeting is because I was… concerned, for a multitude of reasons." Mitsuru picked up two documents, one detailing the medical information of Mayumi Yamano, and the other of Saki Konishi, both after they were found dead. "After hearing about the situation in Inaba, the Kirijo group sent support out to the police department in Inaba in the form of funds, more weaponry, and more policemen. In exchange, we received information concerning Miss Konishi and Miss Yamano's death, and the results drew some alarming parallels.

"Both were found hanging post-mortem, both were found after a heavy fog had set into the area, and both have no discernable cause of death. The coroner couldn't find any trace of poison, blunt force trauma, a gunshot wound—nothing."

"So?" Yukari asked. "It's a serial murder case. The guy would put the body up in the same way, and maybe he just used a new poison that can't be detected yet. This isn't our business, we're not cops."

"Yeah, and, why'd you bring this?" Junpei asked, grunting as he leaned over and reached for the document stating the effects of gaining a Persona. "I'm pretty sure that we all know about this."

"Because there was a third girl kidnapped," Mitsuru took out another file on a third girl and held it up. "The police didn't want to state it as a kidnapping as to not alert the public. Miss Yukiko Amagi was kidnapped on the sixteenth but, unlike the other women, she was returned back home with the assistance of her friend Chie Satonaka on the nineteenth. When police interrogated them both, Miss Satonaka acted normal and stated that she saw Miss Amagi on the side of the road disoriented and brought her back to the inn before the police arrived. However, when Miss Amagi was interrogated, she was reportedly being disoriented, had no perception of what day it was or how long she had been in the interrogation room, and could not remember any details of where she was for the past two days, nor the minutes before she was kidnapped."

Akihiko's eyes widened. "Those are the symptoms for when you gain a Persona."

This caused a rush of shocked outbursts from the rest of the S.E.E.S. members. Yukari's voice rose above them all. "But we stopped The Fall! And Minato-kun stopped Nyx, so no one else should be gaining a Persona!"

"But the murders do match up with Apathy Syndrome." Aigis commented. "Remember? People would become uncaring for seemingly no reason, and while we know it was a result of the Dark Hour, no scientists or doctors could figure out why it was happening. The two women before Yukiko Amagi were killed, but there's no foreseeable cause of death."

"But this can't be the Dark Hour!" Yukari persisted.

"Well, I can agree with you there Yukari-san, but just because the Dark Hour's over doesn't mean these incidents can't be related." Ken said, scratching behind Koromaru's ear, the Shiba's tongue lolling out of his mouth. "I mean, if it were the Dark Hour, we'd know, because we'd be experiencing it as well. But we don't know where Shadows come from, right? What if this is just a Shadow-related incident?"

"But even if it is, we need to tell this Amagi girl what's wrong, right?" Junpei spoke up. "I remember when I got my Persona, and I was scared out of my mind when it happened. I had no clue what was happening, and it might put her at ease."

"Exactly," Mitsuru said. "But since we have no bases or Kirijo members near Inaba, I was thinking we could all take a short 'vacation' there to scout the area out. Since most of us have luggage or simply have their essentials on their person, we'll leave today and arrive at Inaba around eight in the evening. Tomorrow, Fuuka-san, Aigis, and I will go to the highest point in Inaba and use our Personas to scan for any Shadow activity or Personas in the area, and Aigis will alert us if there is anyone coming so that we can hide our abilities to the general public. Junpei, Akihiko, Yukari, Ken and Koromaru will walk around Inaba and will head for any areas or people that Fuuka or I sense. We'll stay there for about three days before heading back to Iwatodai and our jobs, unless something comes up where we'll need to stay for longer."

"Are we certain that I'll be able to use my Persona?" Fuuka asked. "Normally I could only access Juno's abilities during the Dark Hour, not during the day."

"That's why the first time we'll attempt this will be close to midnight. Regardless of if the Dark Hour appears, we'll still be in relative privacy. If it doesn't work, then we will need to bring technology to the area to scout for us. In that case, we'll head back here immediately."

"Hey, I'm all for this!" Junpei said, leaning back and crossing his arms behind his head. "A chance to be a hero again, save people from dying, I can dig this."

"But, Junpei, with that leg injury of yours, you won't be able to do any fighting, will you?" Fuuka said, a faint smile crossing her face. Junpei's eyes widened and he groaned, sagging in his spot as Ken and Akihiko laughed, Koromaru barking excitedly. Yukari, on the other hand, stayed still and looked down at her lap, a detail Aigis hadn't missed.

"Yukari-kun? Could I talk to you in private?" The android requested, standing from her spot on the couch. The model's head jerked up and she slowly rose as well, following Aigis into the kitchen—far away enough so that they wouldn't be heard, but close enough to hear if one of the other members were coming in, or required their input on one matter or another. The brown haired girl fidgeted in place and crossed her arms over her stomach while biting her lip. "You're upset."

"Of course I am!" Yukari kept her voice down, but Aigis knew that, even after a year apart, she would be more than willing to start shouting at the drop of a dime. "Minato… he gave up everything so that the Dark Hour would stop, and so Nyx wouldn't end the world. But apparently that was all for nothing, because Shadows still exist and they're possibly killing people, and people might be gaining Personas left and right. Was everything Minato-kun did in vain? We don't even have an idea of what we're going up against this time, and we can't—"

Aigis moved forward and hugged Yukari, hoping that the action would be consoling. "Minato-kun did not die for nothing. He prevented the end of the world, and he is keeping Nyx at bay, and he has kept us all safe. This might only be related to Shadows, like Amada-kun said, and if it is, it is our job as current and former S.E.E.S. members to stop this, in honor of Minato-kun, okay?"

Yukari, slowly but surely, returned the hug, and leaned her head on Aigis' shoulder. "Okay."

* * *

"We're staying here?" Junpei cried as they stood in front of the Amagi Inn. A police car was waiting about half a block down, the lights off despite the time. Through the lit windows, the S.E.E.S. group could see various workers passing by regularly to and fro to deal with the various customers that were staying. "I thought we didn't want to draw attention to ourselves!"

"Yeah, but, do you really want to stay in a motel that's out of the town?" Ken commented. "We could go to Okina city, but we'd have to take a train here daily, and it's pretty hard to stay awake long enough to come here and go back to the hotel around midnight."

"But Koromaru probably can't stay here. Most Inns don't allow pets, and I don't think there's a pound near here that can keep him until we leave." Yukari replied, and Koromaru growled at the prospect of being separated from the group.

"Koromaru says that he doesn't like being alone in an unfamiliar place." Aigis said before kneeling down and petting the Shiba's head. "Do you think you can find a place to stay for the night, Koro-chan? We'll find you in the morning, I promise." With a small whine, Koromaru nodded and trotted away, yipping back to the group as if saying 'Goodbye!' before darting down the road.

"What'd he say?"

"Koro-chan said that he'd be okay before he left. He did live on the streets before we found him, so he probably knows what he's doing." Aigis responded to Yukari's question, moving towards the entrance to the Inn. "We need to get our rooms, right Mitsuru-san?"

"Right. Takeba, Iori, can I trust you two to get the rooms while Yamagishi, Aigis and I start to head out to find a place where we can scan the town tomorrow?" Mitsuru asked, brushing a bit of her hair to the side.

"Ah, right, we can do that. C'mon, Junpei!" Yukari said, passing by Aigis as she went past the android and through the door. Since Akihiko had both his and Junpei's bag on his back, the younger man was unimpeded as he hobbled up the stairs, and Ken darted past all three of them to get the door for them, a cheerful tinkling of a bell above the door as they entered.

* * *

Yu rubbed at his neck as he slowly prepared dinner for Nanako. He was tired from getting tugged back and forth by children at his job, and he had gotten a pretty decent pay from it, but he wasn't about to let Nanako eat take-out again so soon. Besides, since tomorrow was Sunday, he could sleep in and get his homework done tomorrow or tomorrow evening.

_I did want to talk to Marie, now that I think about it._ Yu thought as he chipped away at the seaweed to make the strands smaller. Nanako had mentioned that she liked Miso Soup, and Yu was happy to make it for her, but it was a bit hard to get the flavor right.

"Um, Yu?" Nanako pipped up from her quiz show.

"Yeah, Nanako-chan?"

"Do you hear something at the door?"

Yu paused from his cooking and turned to the front entrance, his eyebrow rising when he heard a high-pitched whine every few seconds. With a somewhat practiced stance from his days of fighting in the TV world, he gestured to Nanako to stay near the TV as he practically crawled his way over to the front door. The whines stopped when he put his hand on the handle and, with a strong flick of his wrist, he flung the door open only to practically be bowled over by a small, white blur. There was a surprised gasp from Nanako before she started giggling madly, a few clicks coming from the direction of the TV. "Aw, a puppy!"

Yu closed the door and ran back into the living room, sighing in relief that Nanako appeared unharmed and relatively happy. Sitting next to her with its tongue lolling out was a small white dog that reached Nanako's hip while standing, an orange jacket with a hoodie was around its upper half, and was relatively happy with the neck scratches Nanako was giving it.

"Do you recognize her?" The dog growled. "…Him?" At the happy bark, Yu moved closer and check the dog's neck for a collar. Just barely hidden by the jacket was a strip of black leather, the kanji 'コロマル' written on a bronze tag attached to the collar.

"No, but maybe he smelled the soup you were making! He's probably hungry."

"But he has a collar, so that means that someone has to own him."

"Oh, he does?" Nanako sat up and twisted the collar towards her, squinting her eyes at the unfamiliar kanji. "Ko… ko-ra…"

"No, see, it's Ko-ro-ma-ru." Yu ran his finger over each of the kanji to show Nanako, the first grader greedily drinking up the information. "Anyways, I don't think we have any dog food for him."

"But he can drink the soup, and maybe stay for the night?" Nanako looked up pleadingly at the second year student, Yu's resolve withering at the sight.

"I don't know. Normally I'm okay with keeping a stray cat or two with me when I was back in the city, but I don't know how your father would react if he saw Koromaru here. Plus, I don't know how to take care of a dog."

"But he's not getting home until late, and I know he doesn't check your room when he comes back, so he could hide there for tonight!" Nanako argued, pouting and crossing her arms. Yu sighed as his resistance finally broke.

"Alright, alright, he can stay." At Nanako's cheerful cry, Yu went back the kitchen to finish the soup, slicing up a few blocks of tofu he had purchased on his way back from the Daycare and adding it to the mixture. A small bark next to him brought his attention to Koromaru, who affectionately jumped up on Yu's leg and licked at the teen's outstretched hand.

Yu smiled. He was, personally, more of a cat person, but Koromaru was a pretty adorable dog. However, he did have to rethink his dinner plans, since he was pretty sure that dogs couldn't eat tofu or seaweed. Humming, Yu turned to the refrigerator and looked through the shelves to find a package of beef and a few other vegetables, and prepared a pan to cook it and place it into the broth. "Nanako? I'm going to make a separate soup for Koro-chan that has beef in it, so if you don't like the miso, you can have this instead."

"Okay!" Nanako whistled and, taking the cue, Koromaru moved back to Nanako and obediently laid down next to her as she continued to watch the quiz show on the television, the six year old idly scratching the dog's back as she whispered answers. Yu hummed a song as he poured olive oil and the beef into a new pot before adding in the chopped vegetables. He then took the miso soup off of the stove as well, pouring out two bowls for him and Nanako to eat while Koromaru's beef soup started to boil. He wanted to wait a few minutes not only for the soup to be ready, but also so that it would cool down enough for their new guest to eat it. Taking a ladle in one of the cupboards, Yu poured two bowls for him and Nanako and brought them into the living room.

"Here we go!" Yu put one bowl to Nanako's right on the table and then sat down across from her. "The beef soup won't be ready for another minute or two, and even then we'll have to wait for it to cool, but you'll get your food soon little buddy." Yu affectionately pet Koromaru's head before saying a quick thanks and digging in, Nanako following suit. Mentally checking the time, Yu stood from the table and moved back to the stew, taking the pot off the stove and preparing a smaller bowl.

Yu nearly spilled the soup all over his hand and arm when Koromaru started barking furiously. Nanako cried out, and Yu placed the bowl on the table before rushing back to the living room. Koromaru stood defensively in front of Nanako, barking at the front entrance, where Izanagi had just phased through, tilting their head at the small dog.

Yu's eyes widened as Nanako moved over and reassuringly pet Koromaru's back. "Hey, c'mon, there's nothing there. What're you barking at?"

"No clue." Yu said shakily, going back to the kitchen and taking the dog's food to the table. "Here you go, Koro-chan, just try to be clean while you're eating it."

Koromaru slowly relaxed, barely growling as he turned his attention away from the Persona and to his food, licking at the broth and occasionally taking the vegetables or chunks of meat and chewing them, his gaze flicking to Izanagi and back.

_He can see Izanagi._ Yu thought as he scraped the bottom of his bowl. _The random dog that visited my house for food can see a gigantic masked man who is the culmination of my soul._

At that moment, his phone buzzed in his pocket, a pre-coded jingle playing as Yu took it out of his back pocket. Chie's name flashed on the small screen, and he flicked it open and answered. _"Hey, Yu-kun, this is Chie. I was wondering if we could talk about the other world?"_

Yu's eyes widened and he hastily stood from the table, covering the mouthpiece as he stood from the table. "Hey, Nanako? I have to go up to my room, but I'll leave the door open for Koro-chan to come in, alright?" At the first grader's answering nod, Yu practically ran up the stairs, leaving just a small crack for Koromaru to nudge open. "Chie you will not believe what my evening has been like."

_"Huh? What happened?"_

"Well, first off, do you know anyone in town who owns a dog named Koromaru?"

_"Koromaru, huh? No, not that I can remember. Hideki and I probably would have met the dog or the owner somewhere along the line. Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about maybe going into the TV world and seeing if we could find anything new in Yukiko's_ _castle."_

"Ah, well." Yu looked over at the door just as Izanagi faded in, the Persona taking their regular spot on the couch. "As much as I would love to, I don't think that would be a good idea."

_"What, why?"_

"I wanted to wait for Yukiko to recover before we brought her there. Not only would it help her get used to her Persona, but it would also help us work together as a team. And besides, I'm going to be pretty busy tomorrow."

_"Finding a place for this Koro guy to stay? He could always hang out at my place, so long as he and Hideki get along."_

"And Hideki is…?" Yu asked as he started emptying out his school bag and grabbing one of the textbooks on his desk.

_"My dog, I met him when I was a kid!"_

"Well, as tempting as that offer would be, Koro-chan already has an owner, according to his collar. But, and this is weird, I think he can see Izanagi."

_"What?"_

"Yeah. He came up to my house and Nanako convinced me to give him dinner and let him stay, and then Izanagi came in and Koromaru started barking like a madman. He was looking directly at Izanagi while he was doing it, too."

_"That's weird. No one can see our Personas except for other Persona users, right?"_

"Do you mean that Hideki hasn't reacted to Tomoe?"

_"Nope, he didn't even wake up when Tomoe tried to pet him."_ There was a long stretch of silence where Yu took out the rest of his supplies and sat down at his desk before Chie responded. _"Well, how about this then! You and I will look for Koromaru's owner tomorrow. I've got nothing_ _better to do, after all, and I can show you around town."_

Yu hummed and flipped over to a certain page of his textbook. It was far ahead with the class's current unit, but he wanted to remain ahead. "That sounds fine by me. See you tomorrow?"

_"See you tomorrow, Yu!"_ The line went dead and Yu sighed, leaning back in his seat. A few seconds later, the door was pushed open as Koromaru entered the room, immediately lowering his upper body and growling at Izanagi. Thinking fast, Yu took out his phone and took a picture of the event, sending it to Chie with the caption, "See! Izanagi is on the couch!" before turning off his phone and going back to his studies.

* * *

**Sunday, 4-24-11. Weather: Sunny Throughout the Day**

After denying a phone call from Kou about heading out to Okina City, Yu went down to eat breakfast and prepare a few strips of bacon for Koromaru to eat before convincing the dog to come out with him. Despite the dog's negative interactions with Izanagi, he easily followed Yu after they both go their fillings. Checking his phone, Yu saw that Chie had sent him a reply while studying.

[20:37] Chie: Aw, that Shiba's adorable! Let's meet s shopping district tomorrow, k!

Rolling his eyes at Chie's quick response, Yu headed to the designated spot, idly resting his hand over the pocket that had his phone. Koromaru would sometimes stop and sniff at a fence post, or stare at Izanagi as he hovered by Yu's side, but he still stuck close.

Chie's green jacket stood out against the blue sky and dull brown buildings. Tomoe stood guard next to her, idly twirling her staff in hand. When she caught sight of Yu, she waved and smiled at Yu, shouting out a greeting. "Hey, nice to see you again."

"You saw me yesterday, Chie." Yu said, but he was smiling as he greeted her. "Anyways, this is—"

Almost immediately, once Koromaru registered Tomoe floating in midair, he began to growl and bark at the Persona, startling them and Chie. "Oh, so this was the dog you were talking about. I thought you were joking, but it's apparently true."

"Yeah." Yu turned to the Personas. "Maybe you two should go and be out of sight? It might calm him down long enough for us to find his owner."

Izanagi and Tomoe turned to each other, seemingly having a silent conversation with each other before turning back to the two teens and nodding, flying above the buildings and darting off. Almost instantly, Koromaru calmed down and obediently sat down. Chie let out a sigh of relief. "Man, good thing that worked. I don't think that Tomoe would've liked a noisy dog following us around. This guy just showed up on your doorstep?"

"Mhm, he darted in when I opened the door to see what was outside, and then Nanako insisted we gave him dinner. Now I just want to find out where he's from or who owns him."

"Well, maybe one of the older couples owns him. I think I might've heard Mrs. Hidekazu mentioning that she—" Koromaru barked and stood, darting past Chie and running down the street in a full sprint. "What the—! Hey! Get back here!"

"Koromaru!" Yu shouted, running after the Shib. "Follow him!"

The two ran down the street, but since the dog was clearly smaller and faster, he darted away down the street and out of sight before Yu and Chie could round the corner. "Wow, he's fast!" Chie shouted as she looked up and down the road. "And now we have no clue where he went."

"We have to find him!" Yu shouted, pointing to the rest of the shopping district. "I'll check the rest of the shopping district, the shrine, and the neighborhood around my house. You check up the path and the outer neighborhood!"

"What? I thought you wanted to get rid of the dog!"

"I do, but I want to know why Koro-chan could see Izanagi and Tomoe, and the only way we can do that is if we find the owner!"

* * *

Yukari yawned and stretched, rubbing at her eyes. The Amagi Inn had wonderful beds, but she had slept in much, much more than she normally would, and now she was yawning every few minutes. Junpei had teased her endlessly, throwing out a remark after every yawn.

She did have to give him credit: she thought he would run out of them by now.

"Wonder how long it's gonna take for Mitsuru and Fuuka to get their evokers ready." Akihiko said as he stared up the stairs in the general direction of the girls' room.

"They basically kicked Aigis and I out of the room to talk, and I think they're getting used to… y'know, summoning Juno and Artemisia." Yukari commented. She remembered when she had first learned about the Dark Hour and Shadows, as well as attempting to first summon Io. The act of holding a pistol to her head, despite the knowledge that it wouldn't harm her, had still scared her to this day.

She still wasn't sure how Minato had done it with such little hesitation.

"Would it be okay if I waited outside?" Ken asked. "I want to see if Koromaru's here yet, and it's nearly mid-afternoon." At Akihiko's answering nod, the thirteen year old darted out the door and out of sight. Mitsuru and Fuuka came down soon after, the latter trailing a bit behind.

"We've decided we're going to check out the Samegawa Riverbank, as well as a building in Okina City, and a local hill overlooking the town. Whichever would be easiest to enter will be the location Yamagishi and I will use later tonight." Mitsuru looked around and tilted her head. "Is Amada not up yet?"

"No, he's up. He just went outside to look for Koro-chan." Yukari commented. "Are we coming with you, or…"

"Hey, I want to look around Inaba!" Junpei commented while lifting up one of his crutches. "Besides, I want to see what this Souzai Daigaku place has, I heard from some of the others passing by that they have some killer steak!"

"Then let's split up." Fuuka proposed. "Mitsuru-san, Aigis and I will go and look for a place to scan tonight while the rest of you look around town."

"I'm okay with that, but we should probably ask Ken." Akihiko said, and Yukari nodded. The S.E.E.S. group left the Inn, only for grins to grow on their face when they saw Ken affectionately scratching Koromaru's neck, the albino dog barking once he caught sight of the other adults.

"Hey Koro-chan! Did you have a good night?" Yukari asked as she kneeled down on one knee, joining Ken with giving her own morning scratches. At noticing Aigis, Koromaru broke free of the adoring touches and ran over to Aigis, barking enthusiastically. The android's expression became shocked as she listened to the Shib, and she slowly turned to Mitsuru.

"What's wrong?" The red-head asked. "What happened?"

"Koromaru saw, what he believes to be, a Persona."

"What?" Yukari exclaimed. "Koromaru, this better not be a joke."

"He's not: he saw two. He went to stay at a house yesterday, or at least get food from a house, and at the place he stayed the eldest son had one. It wasn't dormant, and the boy could see it and interact with it. Earlier today, he was walking beside the boy and they found a girl, and she had one as well. Apparently, they both interacted with the Personas, and Koromaru ran off to find us."

"So this proves it then." Akihiko said, crossing his arms over his chest. "There is, in fact, Shadow activity occurring. Did Koromaru get a name?"

"Only one: Chie. He didn't get the name of the son, but he had silver hair, so it shouldn't be too hard to locate—"

"No!" Yukari shouted, anxiously fiddling with the bottom of her shirt. "No, I'm sorry, but I just… I need to leave. I can't do this right now."

"Yukari…" Fuuka sighed.

" _Please._ " Yukari whispered. "I can't… A year wasn't enough."

"I agree." Mitsuru said. "While Koromaru's discovery was great, we need to regroup. This is no longer a scouting mission, this is something that could become a national emergency. Not only that, we have confirmed that there are potentially three Persona users in this town, and we need to find out as much info as we can concerning them. We also need to figure out the identity of the boy that Koromaru stayed with."

"So… what, we catch a train back to Iwatodai and go back to our homes?" Junpei commented.

"That would be the best course of action." Mitsuru said. "I'll call for direct transport, for those who need it." The red-head turned back around and went into the Amagi Inn, already dialing away at her cellphone.

Akihiko turned to face the group. "Give her some time. She may not show it a lot, but she cared about Arisato-kun a lot, and this is hitting her pretty hard, alright?"

Junpei nodded, though he kept a smile up. "Well, this year got a lot more interesting, huh?"

* * *

**Monday, 4-25-11. Weather: Cloudy**

Yu yawned and rubbed at his eyes, trying to stay awake. Chie and he had run around all of Inaba to try and find Koromaru, but the dog had basically disappeared from the face of the earth. They had kept running after him until the sun had set and, to make up for it, Yu bought Chie to Aiya's and paid for a dinner. He had received plenty of teasing remarks, and he was relieved that Yosuke wasn't around to tease them. However, he was mentally and physically drained, and he didn't know if he was going to be able to make it through the day. Even Izanagi looked drained: their arms hung and their sides and their normally vibrant, yellow eyes seemed glazed and dull.

"The cultural clubs are accepting new applicants starting today! You're welcome to join, even if you're already in a sports club. Hmm… Which cultural club should I join?" Yu glanced up and saw two girls ahead of him speaking, the one who spoke was bursting with energy that Yu vied for, and the one next to her kept her head held high.

"You're going to join a sports and cultural club? Aren't you going to end up half-assing both of them?" The brisk girl said.

"Ouch! You don't have to be so harsh. I mean, I put some thought into this. Studying and grades are important, but I thought I should join a club and improve my personal skills."

"Oh. Then do you want to join our club? If you're serious about it, we'd welcome you." Yu yawned once more, forcing himself to stay awake. He knew he had a long day ahead of him, and he wasn't about to fall asleep in the middle of class.

At that moment, a girl with short brown hair ran past him, panting as she said, "G-Gotta get ready...!" Yu then saw her skid to a stop and turn on a dime, rushing back down the path. "M-My bag...!"

* * *

If there was one thing Yu was grateful for, it was that he and Yosuke shared a majority of their classes. Izanagi and Jiraiya also seemed to share this elation, as the frog-like Persona would always dash in circles around Izanagi whenever they would meet up. Not only that, but since they had gym together, Yu could wake up with the sun in his eyes and the physical torture that was sure to follow.

"Good morning!" Mr. Kondo, the teacher who 'taught' English earlier in the week, was now teaching physical education. "Today, I'll have you run so much, you'll have sore muscles! Hahaha! Don't look so sad! Everything requires muscles, after all! Why am I going to make you run until you're sore? Because that's how your muscles grow efficiently!" Mr. Kondo turned to Yu and, noticing the slightly dazed expression on the teen's face, he boomed out his name before blowing his whistle, jolting him out of his stupor. "Hey, Narukami! Hanamura's the one who's supposed to be nodding off, not you! Answer this one and I may forgive you: what's it called when you gain more muscle after getting sore through exercise?

Shaking his head to clear it, Yu answered. "Overcompensation."

Mr. Kondo nodded "You must be working out, Narukami!"

Smiling, Yosuke leaned over and whispered into Yu's ear. "Yeah, if you consider fighting Shadows inside a TV as 'working out', then yeah, we work out." Yu had to bit the inside of his lip to keep himself from chuckling, especially since Kondo's gaze was focused on them.

Unable to figure out why the boys were laughing, he continued with his lesson. "That's right! It's called overcompensation! If you rest for a couple of days after getting muscle soreness, you'll have more muscle than you started with! If you use this to your advantage, you can gain muscle efficiently! Now, enough jibber jabber, I'll have you run until you're sore!"

Yosuke visibly paled. "Aw, what! Mr. Kondo, come on!"

"No complaining Hanamura, or I'll make you run until you collapse! Now, go!" Mr. Kondo took his whistle and blew into it, a shrill whistle traveling through the air and inciting the rest of the class to take off. Yosuke and Yu, however, lacked behind, as Yosuke continued to complain and mutter about how psychopathic Kondo was for 'putting them through slave labor'.

"C'mon, Yosuke," Yu teased, poking his friend's ribs with his elbow. "I know your fast. Plus, it won't be too bad."

"Says you, I don't want to sweat my balls off."

"Hm... alright then, let's bet. First one to collapse has to give the other two hundred yen."

"...Okay, you're on."

* * *

"Okay, here's your water." Yosuke said, handing Yu a paper cup filled with water. "You do know that, when Kondo-san said that we were going to run until we collapsed, he was _joking."_

"I know," Yu recalled with a blush. He was, to everyone's surprise, rather competitive, so he took the bet seriously. Of course, since he was basically running on fumes, he collapsed on the track and Mr. Kondo had asked Yosuke to take him to the Nurse's office. Jiraiya had, according to Yosuke, held Izanagi bridal style, and even now the frog-like Persona was darting anxiously around the cloaked Persona, not letting them get up from their spot next to Yu on the cot and tending to them like a maid. "I probably shouldn't have made that bet in the first place."

"Well, duh! Why didn't you sleep last night, you could've done some serious harm to yourself!"

Yu chuckled before gulping down the water. "You're gonna laugh."

"Try me."

"Alright. On Saturday night, I was making dinner for Nanako and we heard something at the door. I opened it and a dog came in, and Nanako convinced me to let him stay for dinner and overnight, and we learned that he was called Koromaru. Izanagi then came in and Koro-chan could see them, actually see Izanagi, and I wasn't assuming this: he started barking and growling at them when they came in and would always try to keep an eye on them."

"So?" Yosuke shrugged. "Maybe dogs can just see them."

"I thought that too, but Chie called me later and then when I told her, she said that her dog never reacted to Tomoe's presence. We agreed to meet up in the Shopping District in the afternoon and we were going to try and find Koromaru's owner, but once we got there he ran off and we spent most of the day trying to find him. We didn't, and to make up for it, I took her to Aiya and paid for her food. And then naturally, I didn't get a lot of sleep, and then one stupid thing led to another, and I collapsed."

Yosuke was silent, sitting next to Yu on the cot. "If we found the owner, do you think they might be able to learn more about the other world?"

"That's what I was hoping. We might be able to just end the murders by getting rid of the Shadows, and maybe Koro-chan's master could've told us."

Yosuke smiled and put his hand on Yu's shoulder. "Don't worry, we're going to get through this together, alright?"

Yu felt a faint blush grow on his cheeks, and he hoped that it wasn't noticeable. "Yeah, I know, partner."

* * *

Yu rolled his neck, thoroughly exhausted from the day's events. He was, however, going through with the plans he had made in the morning, and was about to join one of the cultural clubs. After facing another lecture from Morooka, he had darted off to the Practice building, searching for one of the clubs. Finally, he had found the drama club, and slid open the door slowly, trying not to interrupt them. The group made a horseshoe-shaped line in the center of the classroom, but there were clearly more girls than boys.

"Let's move on to tongue twisters." Said one near the head of the arch. "Ready? The sixth chick cheek's shixth cheep... Argh!"

The girl to his left smiled and chimed in. "The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick!" She finished, and Yu was impressed. Tongue twisters, whether in English or Japanese, were difficult. "You're still not saying it correctly. Are you sure you're the club president?"

The male student rolled his eyes and huffed, only to brighten up when he saw Yu standing awkwardly by the pushed desks. "Oh, a new guy? You're Narukami, from second year, right? The transfer student?"

Yu timidly waved at the club members. "Yeah, that's me."

"I see, I see. Well, welcome to the drama club! I'm the club president, Nagai. And this is…"

The girl who successfully did the tongue twister placed one hand on her chest and waved at Yu with her free one. "I'm Yumi Ozawa. I'm in second year, same as you. It's nice to meet you."

One girl across from Yumi raised her eyebrows and tilted her head. "Yumi, are you trying to get your hooks into the new guy already?"

"Huh? Not in the slightest. Anyway, let's continue practicing."

Nagai cleared his throat "We don't have a stage, and we haven't decided on a script yet, so we're just training. I'm sure you'll catch on. Our club meets on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays."

A girl to the right of Nagai turned to Yu and took up where Nagai had left off "We're not gonna throw you out if you don't show up, but the more you train, the better you get, right? I think being in the drama club helps you learn how to express yourself more eloquently. Oh yeah, I'm the club's vice president. I'm not really much help, though…"

Nagai immediately turned around, and faced the girl with a sheepish smile. "That's okay, Mi-tan. I know you put a lot of effort into it. Besides, you're so cute…"

"Don't call me Mi-tan in front of everyone!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Yu saw Yumi roll her eyes at the obvious display of affection. He waved his hand slightly, managing to grab his attention, and pointed at his open mouth and pretended to gag. Yumi smiled faintly and moved away from the couple, approaching the new 'actor.' "Yu-kun, forget about them! Let's practice, okay? We'll start with voice lessons."

* * *

"That's right; now, focus on your stomach…" Yumi placed her hand below her ribcage and then raised it up to her collarbone. "Now, push the air out. Now, say "Ahh"!"

"Ahhh…"

"That was good! You've gotten a lot better than when we started!" She smiled and giggled slightly, only to look around in shock "Huh, school's over already! Everybody's already gone! I didn't even notice…"

"Hey, we were working pretty hard, it only makes sense."

"Yeah, I guess so. I'll see you next time. Come to practice, okay?"

"Got it." Yu yawned and stretched his arms above his head, thoroughly tired. When he gets home, he'd probably take a nap before doing any homework.

"I'm glad to see you can take orders." Yumi teased before going over to her book bag and slinging it over her shoulder. "Well, Fate must've brought us here. Let's do the best with what we have."

Time froze once more, the now familiar sound of smashing glass filling the air as a card materialized between them. Placed atop of a stained glass-like background made of various reds, purples, and yellows was a sun with a gentle face. Held in the trimming was the Roman numeral **XIX**.

**Thou art I, And I am thou.**

**Thou hast established a new bond…**

**It brings thee closer to the truth.**

**Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Sun Arcana.**

Time resumed at a normal pace, with Yumi gasping and searching through her bag. "Oh, yeah. Have you ever gone to see a play or a musical being performed live? I have a DVD you can borrow. It'll definitely help your technique." Out of her bag was a boxed DVD case. Yu raised his eyes at the odd image, a girl wearing a white hat and wearing all white was whispering to a girl dressed in a similar outfit, but in all black, with a green face and red lips, smirking. "The other members in the drama club don't watch this kind of stuff, or even talk about it… but then again, it is in English, so…"

"Hey, don't worry," Yu said while taking the case. "I'm pretty good with English, so I think I'll enjoy this."

* * *

**Tuesday, 4-26-11. Weather: Cloudy with Rain Later in the Day**

With a content smile, Yu walked down the street, fully rested after the sleep he got last night. Stretching as he walked, Yu tuned into the conversation two students were having in front of him.

"Oh yeah, did you hear? They found Yukiko-senpai." One said, and he vaguely remembered the voice from his own classmates

"Huh? Really? Uh, does that mean she wasn't part of the case?" Said the boy next to him.

"How should I know? I just heard people talking about it."

_Good, the police didn't go public with the assumptions that she might've been kidnapped by the killer. At the very least, Yukiko won't be completely harassed when she gets back. And if she is… well,_ Yu glanced up at Izanagi with a grin, only to see Orobas there instead, blankly staring at him, silently judging the students ahead of them. _Gah!_

Orobas slowly turned down to Yu, his blank gaze reflecting Yu's shocked expression. "...Hello."

"Huh…" Continued the students in front of them. "But Yukiko-senpai might have been the next target after Saki-senpai, right? The culprit's definitely going after people based on looks."

"What? But those two are totally different. Plus, I hear that Saki-senpai got around…" Yu felt a small amount of rage well up inside him, and Orobas, picking up on that, moved closer to the boys and snorted. At the same time, a boy with white hair passed by, causing the two to stop their conversation and search for a new topic, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "B-By the way, guess what? It's gonna start raining tonight."

"Uhh, really? Seriously? I didn't know that."

Orobas, satisfied, hovered back to Yu. "...Do you know those students?"

_I…_ think _they're in my class._

"...Hmmm, interesting." Orobas disappeared, and in his place was Izanagi, who simply shook their head and continued on their path, unaware of the horse Persona's intentions.

* * *

As the day carried on, Izanagi traded places with Orobas once more and then disappeared for the rest of the day. This hadn't escaped Yu's attention, nor had the disappearance of the two students from earlier, who were, in fact, from his class. He couldn't exactly bring it up casually to Chie or Yosuke, not without someone hearing, and since he didn't really know how to forcefully change the Persona who was 'out,' he was stuck worrying.

_Hopefully it's nothing,_ he thought as the period for math began, and Mrs. Nakayama began her lesson.

"I've heard there's a mysterious animal dwelling in the shopping district area. Supposedly, it knows how to search the change dispenser of the vending machines. How amazing in that? Even animals can learn the value of money… I guess I'll have to keep my wallet more secure from now on. Students, at your age you might not understand, but money is very important! You can't do anything without it!"

"Oh believe me, I know." Yu muttered under his breath, not noticing the concerned glance from Yosuke behind him.

"And you know, smarts don't guarantee wealth. Anyway, I guess I should do what they pay me to do and lecture you. Let's see, we left off talking about the properties of whole numbers… Well, Miss Satonaka. Tell me which of these don't exist: Amicable numbers, betrothed numbers, marriage numbers, or sociable numbers?"

Chie looked up, visibly panicking. "Uh… which one was it?" She turned to Yu, trying to appear inconspicuous. "Do you know, Yu-kun? I don't think I've heard of any of these!"

Yu whispered under his breathe. "Marriage numbers."

"Uhm… Marriage numbers, Nakayama-san?"

Ms. Nakayama tsked at Chie. "That's actually correct. Next time, Miss Satonaka, please just say honestly if you don't know the answer. Amicable numbers, betrothed numbers, and sociable numbers all exist as types of numbers. However, 'marriage numbers' don't exist… though amicable, betrothed, and sociable exist. Deep, huh? Anyway, let's move on. This is the Messene Prime. It's really quite…"

As Ms. Nakayama moves on with her lecture, Chie leaned over to whisper to Yu. "Guess she knew I was asking you. But… thanks, Yu-kun! Uh, do you think we could talk after school for a bit? I hang out on the roof, so just meet me upstairs."

Yu nodded and turned back to the teacher, noticing Chie's cheerful smile as he took notes. While the lecture was somewhat boring, as he had taught himself about the types of numbers earlier in the month, it was worthwhile to keep track of where he was.

However, the lecture was abruptly ended by frantic screaming in the hall. One of the doors was flung open by Mr. Kondo, who panted desperately. "I need any members of the sports teams to help me, two students have gone insane!"

Mrs. Nakayama stuttered, the chalk in her hand screeching as she applied too much pressure to the board. Yu stood from his chair, as well as two other boys and a girl in the far back, before running out into the hallway. The two students that were talking in front of Yu in the morning were now slugging it out by the stairs. Observing like a referee was Orobas with his arms crossed over his chest, his tail flicking behind him.

"What are you doing?" Yu cried, directing it at Orobas. Instead, one of the two students replied.

"He's a sick son of a bitch!" One yelled as he threw a nasty right hook at the other's eye, and then jumping on the other once he fell to the ground, straddling his chest while delivering another nasty punch. The sports team members didn't waste time, immediately throwing themselves into the fray and trying to separate the brawling students.

"Those who can speak so flippantly about the deceased do not deserve to keep their sanity." Replied the Persona. "A simply Hysterical Slap threw their puny minds out of their heads, and they will remain that way until the end of time."

Yu shook his head, switching to thinking to keep everyone from thinking he was as crazy as the two fighting in the hallway. _That doesn't matter. They're idiots and don't know anything about Saki. Yes, what they said was wrong, but you didn't need to go out of your way to punish them!_

Orobas snorted and tilted his head back, the Persona disappearing in a flash of red flame and Sylph taking his place. "That guy needs to get a grip on reality, right? Anyways, you restrain them, I'll fix them up!"

Yu nodded and joined the pile that had formed as he had talked to Orobas. He grabbed the one who only had one boy holding him and glanced at Sylph, whose hands were glowing a faint green color. Slowly but surely, the second year students calmed down, and were looking around confused.

"Whew, looks like that was sorted out." Mr. Kondo said, grabbing the two students by their arms and moving to the stairs. "You boys get back to class, I'll deal with everything from here on out."

With the situation defused, Yu let out a sigh of relief, and easily decided that he had to get rid of Orobas as soon as possible to avoid any more situations like that.

* * *

After explaining what had happened during Math to the other Persona users, Yu and Chie had left the school together and walked to Samegawa riverbank, the girl and Tomoe scanning the area with thoughtful expressions (well, as thoughtful as a masked Persona could be9.

Chie hummed. "This looks like a good spot."

"A good spot? For what?"

"Y'know, for training!" Chie bounced on the balls of her feet while Tomoe spun her staff and proceeded to point it at Yu's currently equipped Persona, Sylph, who darted behind Yu for attention. "I need to hone my kicking skills, or I won't be able to use them in battle. I tried practicing at home… but my mom and dad yelled at me for putting a hole in the shoji."

"Isn't there a gym nearby? I think I heard Daisuke talking about it, why don't you practice there?"

"Well, gyms aren't as good as practicing with a real person, y'know? Plus, a lot of guys might stare at me, and I don't like that. Besides, we both need the practice, and I can get used to seeing how Tomoe would react in a battle so I can adapt to her style. You don't mind, right?

Yu slowly nodded. "No, I'm fine with this."

"Okay, good! So, let's train together! Unless you'd want to do it privately or something."

"Like I said, I'm cool with it, it's just that I use swords, but I'm fine with learning hand-to-hand combat. I have to do that whenever I change Personas, anyways."

"Yes! Thanks, Yu-kun!" Chie jumped in place and pulled her arms to her sides, doing a fist pump before turning to face the river. "That thing… y'know, from that time? I mean the Shadow that came out of me. I feel pathetic knowing that's another 'me'. Makes me feel like I gotta work harder!"

Chie turned back to Yu with a smile, whatever serious expression on her face vanishing. "Alright, let's do it! Between you and me, we'll be unstoppable!"

The tarot card of the Chariot materialized, glowed golden, and the number 2 materialized on the picture before vanishing completely. Having seen the similar moment from Yosuke, Yu barely reacted, a hint of a smile crossing his face.

Chie cheered. "Alright, bring out Izanagi. I want a good sparring session!" Tomoe raised her staff into the air, a golden glow surrounding them, charging once Sylph had swapped places with the Fool. Yu grinned as he fell into a fighting stance, blocking a roundhouse kick from Chie as the two Personas collided mid-air, a shower of sparks flying from their weapons as ice and electricity clashed.


	13. A Quick Retreat

**Wednesday, 4-27-11. Weather: Rain throughout the Day**

Yu sighed as he hoisted his umbrella over his head. His body was still somewhat sore from the fight with Chie yesterday, but he was healing. Now he had to work out different priorities: namely, getting rid of Orobas in some way.

Naturally the first place he went was the Velvet room after school, fumbling somewhat as he entered, trying to figure out how to fold up the umbrella he had in his hand. His Personas materialized before him, and he involuntarily shuddered when Orobas' gaze landed on him. "...I know what you plan to do."

Igor hummed. "It seems that you reject Orobas, despite the fact that he comes from your own soul."

Margaret flipped open the compendium, the card for Orobas hovering over the opened pages. "One of the 72 demons of the Goetia. He appears as a horse and answers questions of the past, present, and future. He is faithful to his conjuror. Apparently, he has also seen himself to make futures happen quicker, considering what had happened to those boys in your class."

"He comes from the sea of your soul, and yet you reject him. Perhaps you aren't comfortable with making a final decision in someone's life, and prefer to be more of a guiding presence, and give someone a purpose or put them in the right direction. _Very_ interesting."

"Well… can I get rid of him?" Yu asked tentatively, noticing how Orobas' eyes narrowed. "Or fuse him away?"

"I, um," Sylph mumbled, fluttering into Yu's line of sight. "If it would make you feel better, I'm able to fuse with Orobas, though, I don't know what kind of Persona will come from it."

The relief that Yu felt was instantaneous. "You can?" Sylph nodded. "Okay then, let's do that."

"You are making a mistake." Orobas hummed as Igor began to fuse the two together. "We could prevent heinous acts of the future. I could be your guiding light, and you the knight who would defend the truth."

"But I don't want that if it means killing others or harming them to the point where death would be preferred." Yu replied as Orobas snarled and cried out as he was forcibly thrown together with Sylph, a humanoid like Persona appearing in midair. He wore a golden set of Greek armor, a sword lifted above his hunched form as he declared behind his mask: "Before you stands Titan… I am the undefeatable one who swears loyalty to you…"

With a sigh of relief, Yu felt Orobas' presence leave his mind and Titan fill the void where he and Sylph had resided. He made to exit the Velvet Room when Marie coughed and gestured at Yu to come closer.

With his interest piqued, Yu moved closer, letting Marie say what she wanted.

"…Look, I'm sure you already know, but… I want you to take me somewhere. It's small, it's dark, The Nose never says anything. It's stuffy in here."

Yu snickered. "'The Nose'?"

Margaret hummed from her spot across from the black haired girl. "It is her form of a 'nickname' given to my master."

Marie ignored Margaret, continuing to talk to Yu. "I'm really not supposed to leave the room, but Margaret said it'd be okay if I went with you."

Yu looked to the elder occupant. "She's not lying, right?"

Marie glared and crossed her arms over her chest. "Of course I'm not! Why would I lie?"

Margaret nodded "It is true. So long as Marie is accompanied by you, she may leave the Velvet Room for however long she wishes."

Marie huffed, still glaring at Yu. "So, will you take me somewhere?"

Yu almost refused, remembering the horrible weather outside, before he noticed the somewhat desperate look in Marie's eyes. "Sure, it's fine by me. It's just raining cats and dogs out there right now."

Marie sighed, either in relief or frustration. "That's fine, I just want to leave. Still, I think you gave in too easily. I'll have you twisted around my finger at this rate."

Yu raised his eyebrow. "Uh, what?"

"'Twisted around my finger', that's the phrase, right? I've been studying." Noticing the small smile crossing Yu's face, she groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Whatever, let's just go."

* * *

Upon exiting the Velvet Room, Yu looked around in shock when he saw that the torrential rain had, amazingly, let up during his brief time in the Velvet Room. Yet, it was odd; the weather report had said non-stop rain for around three days straight, and he here was in a slightly-humid Inaba. Of course, weather reports are not always right, but he had been walking around not too long ago, and it certainly didn't seem like it was stopping any time soon.

"What…?" Looking to his left, he saw Marie halfway down the block and in the middle of the street, looking around like a lost child. He ran over to the Velvet Room resident and grabbed Marie's arm, pulling her back to the sidewalk. "Hey, be careful, you could've gotten hit by a car!"

Marie indignantly pulled her arm back and rubbed at the spot where Yu had grabbed her. "I'm not a child, I can handle myself!"

Yu hesitantly retracted his hand and kept a close eye on Marie as she gazed at the various buildings scattering the sidewalk until they stopped in front of Souzai Daigaku. The resident let out a relieved sigh, apparently satisfied with the distance she had traveled from the Velvet Room. "I can finally breathe now. It's stuffy in that car." She looked around the northern end of the shopping district, a reminiscent expression on her face. "Y'know… I feel weird. It's like, nostalgic, for the smell and all."

"'Nostalgic'?"

"Yeah, nostalgic. That's what I said. It just… feels that way. There's a lot of stuff that I've never noticed before."

Yu moved closer to Marie, trying to keep her within an arm's distance. "Like what?"

Marie ignored Yu and turned to examine Souzai Daigaku. "A 'Steak Skewer'?"

"Yeah, I came here once with Yosuke. They were actually pretty good, so—" Marie walked towards the vendor with little hesitation "Hold on!" _Why does she keep rushing ahead of me?_

Marie talked brashly to the vendor, little care behind her actions or words. "Hey, lady. I want one of those skewer things."

The lady behind the counter smiled. "Oh, hello. That'll be 320 yen, please."

Marie stumbled over her words. "Thwee hunnert twin… Bleh. That's hard to say." She paused as she realized what the woman meant. "You can't eat without money?"

"Want me to pay for it? I don't mind getting you something to eat."

Marie turned around, surprised. "You have money? That's awesome. You're awesome."

"Yeah, I got it from my job. Here, let me…" Yu paused as he saw Yosuke walking towards him and waved. "Hey, Yosuke."

"Yo, Yu! Gettin' your steak on, huh?" The Magician turned to his left and saw Marie, a slight blush crossing his cheeks. "...She's cute.

Yu sighed and shook his head. "Really, man?"

Yosuke snapped out of his reverie and frantically looked between the two. "What? What's going on here? Who's this?"

"This," Yu gestured to Marie, who shuffled uncomfortably in place. "is Marie. She's a friend of mine."

"Friend…?" Marie shrugged. "I guess… I don't know."

"Ahh, I see. A 'friend,' you say, huh?"

"See, I thought you would do this when I said I brought Chie to Aiya."

"That's different! You were making up for dragging her around Inaba, this time you're just casually bringing a girl to Souzai Daigaku."

"We. Are not. Dating. End of story."

"Oh, so she's single then?"

_"Yosuke."_

Yosuke turned to Marie, a smooth smile on his face. "Heyo, I'm Yosuke Hanamura! I'm his friend. His partner, y'know."

Yu covered his face with his hands. "Oh my _God_ Yosuke."

"...Partner? You mean like a close friend?"

Yu switched over to English, hoping that Yosuke's knowledge of the language wouldn't let him understand what he was saying "You've known her for all of two seconds and you're already trying to hit on her."

"Heheh, yeah, that about sums it up. Do you mind telling me your name?"

"...I might be dying watching this right now, I just might be dying."

Marie turned from Yosuke and glared at Yu. "What are you saying?"

"Yeah, dude, it sounds like you're speaking in English."

Yu sighed. "Nothing, just… making a few mental notes to myself. Anyway, Yosuke, this is Marie."

"Hmmm, Marie-chan, is it?"

Yu turned to Yosuke. "Please don't call her Marie-tan, otherwise I might never hear the end of it."

"Hey, relax partner! I'm just introducing myself. Plus, I'm nowhere near as bad as Teddie."

"...Fair enough."

"Anyways, you guys want steak skewers? These'll be on me!" Yosuke walked to the vendor, and Marie awkwardly shuffled away. "Hello, Motomiya-san, how's the family?"

The woman behind the counter smiled. "Ah, Hanamura. Daisuke-chan and Jun-chan have been growing up fast. They might be in Yasogami before you graduate!"

"...You mean you'll buy it for me?" She turned to Yu. "Is that okay?"

Yu shrugged. "There's no reason to decline." _Though I don't want to be the reason why Yosuke will be using up his last paycheck…_

"Hey, don't worry! I got a little extra in my last paycheck."

"I'll still give you any money if you need it, Yosuke."

"Don't worry, Yu, I've got it covered. Three steak skewers, please! One for each of us."

The vendor, Motomiya, smiled. "Oh my, business is booming! Just a moment, please."

* * *

Yu patted his belly as the skewer settled. It was a filling meal, and it tasted great too, but he still felt guilty for having Yosuke pay for three plates.

"Whew!" Yosuke stretched his arms above his head. "Is that a bellyful or what! This place always has huge portions."

"Still, I wish you had let me help pay. I feel bad."

"Nah, I know you'll repay the favor for me one way or another. Besides, you don't have a job yet."

"No, I work at the Daycare, now."

"What? When did this happen?"

"About… two days ago? Before Orobas went nuts."

"Oh yeah, did you get rid of him?"

"First thing I did after school today."

"Good, last thing we need is another fist fight in the middle of the hallway." Remembering that Marie was less than a foot away, he turned to face her with a nervous smile and attempted to change the subject. "So, Marie-chan, what d'you think of the local specialty?"

"It's really weird. It's tough, hard to bite into, and it got cold while I was still eating it." She turned to face Yosuke with a slight grin. "It was delicious."

"Oh, uh… that's good. Didn't sound like you liked it at the beginning there. But, all's well that ends well!"

Marie ignored Yosuke's comment and turned back to Yu. "Hey, why's it called 'steak', anyway? Is it short for something?"

"Yeah, it's short for 'Beefsteak'. Steak's just easier to get the point across."

"But if you drop the word 'beef' from it, you don't get any sense of what it's made of. It should be, like… 'Fsteak'."

"That's, uh… not much better…"

"And also a lot more difficult to say."

Yosuke turned to Yu. "Marie-chan's a strange kid, huh? Well, that makes her cute… I guess?"

"Sometimes I wonder why I'm friends with you guys."

"Hey, c'mon, we're two city boys livin' out in the boonies. Gotta have _some_ fun."

Marie sulked in her spot. "You eat this every day? No fair, I should've come earlier…"

"Do you want me to get you another one?" Yu asked "I'll pay."

"I… don't think I could eat anything else right now."

"Yeah, this stuff'll probably make you as fat as a stuffed pig."

Marie tilted her head. "A… pig?"

Yosuke's eyes widened. "Ah, crap, that came out bad, right? I totally just insulted you I'm sorry, I'm really—you look fine."

"I don't… think that's what she meant." Yu said slowly, unsure if Marie even knew what a pig looked like.

Marie turned to Yu. "Do you think The Nose'll let me bring some back?"

Yosuke snickered. "The… The Nose?"

"It's her nickname for her… guardian." Ignoring Marie's cross expression, he continued. "And I don't think he'll let you bring anything back."

Marie tilted her head down and mumbled. "Stupid Nose, stupid room, stupidstupidstupid!"

Yosuke laughed and put his hands in his pants pockets, only to pull them out in panic as he pats his back pockets, clearly not finding what he wanted. "Ah, crap! I left my key back in my locker at work! I've gotta go back to Junes! See you later, Yu! You too, Marie-chan!"

Yu shouted at Yosuke's retreating form. "Hurry up before the rain starts up again!"

Marie hummed. "Your 'partner' is a funny person."

"That he is, Marie. That he is."

"But he bought me meat. That makes him a good person. That is fact." Marie stood from the serving table outside Souzai Daigaku, taking little consideration of the nervous expression on Yu's face. "Hey, let's go somewhere else. Somewhere with a nice view."

"Uh… I can't think of a good place off the top of my head—" Marie started to wander off, causing Yu to abruptly stand up. "Hey, wait! Marie!"

* * *

Multiple times after losing Marie (and having to use Izanagi to help him locate her), they wound up on the hill looking over the town. The view wasn't the best, since the sky was clouded over and the sun would just barely poke through for a moment and disappear, but it showed most, if not all, of Inaba.

Marie looked around the hill, and Yu almost thought she looked disgusted at the scenery. "It's really green here. Green and… green. And some brown and… Darker green?"

"Well, those are the 'colors of nature' as a philosopher has inevitably said at one point." Yu commented, sitting down on one of the wooden benches scattering the area. Izanagi hovered above them, entertaining themselves by darting up into the clouds, occasionally letting off a little bit of electricity.

Marie remained silent, staring off into space before murmuring to herself. "Leaves of green fly away, Farewell to you, clouds of the sky… I fly as well, lost as the day, farewell to you, moon of the night." Yu's eyes widened as he vaguely heard Marie say something that rhymed, and made to comment on it. However, she snapped out of her reverie and turned around to face him, crossing her arms over her chest and blushing furiously. "N-No! I wasn't making up a poem! It's just some words that I was thinking! That's all! Yeah!" There were a few seconds of silence before Marie looked down at the ground, a slew of words flying out of her mouth. "ShutupIhateyoustupidejerk! Don't snoop on me!"

"I wasn't _snooping,_ especially not if you're improving poetry in the open." Yu teased.

"Sh-Shut up!" She turned away to look at the view, and also to escape Yu. Her anger disappeared as she looked out at the countless buildings covering the countryside. "Wow, it's pretty big…"

"You should see Tokyo. Then again, you can't really get nature like this in the middle of a city."

"I don't know why, but I feel good about this place. It reminds me of something." Marie glanced at Yu with an odd amount of excitement considering her prior behavior. "Are there any other places we can go? I want to see more."

"I'll show you around. We barely got to see any of Inaba, there's a whole lot more than what we can see up here."

"Please do. I notice a lot of things when I'm with you. It's pretty fun." Marie smiled, and Yu returned the gesture, a little nervous for what she would see while in Inaba, but still ready to show her the town. The sound of shattering glass filled the air, and time slowed to a standstill. A card materialized between Yu and Marie, a silhouette of Thoth was inside of an orange circle, with four lines with the colors purple, green, and light blue behind it. Held in golden trimming was the Roman numeral XX.

**Thou art I, And I am thou.**

**Thou hast established a new bond…**

**It brings thee closer to the truth.**

**Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Aeon Arcana.**

Marie grinned and turned back to the stairs they had walked up. "All right, next! Where to now?"

* * *

**Thursday, 4-28-11. Weather: Rain throughout the Day**

While the horrible weather had let up for the duration of Marie's stay outside the Velvet Room, it had worsened and stubbornly remained so for the rest of the evening and into Thursday. With his umbrella hoisted over his head, Yu tried to avoid as many puddles as possible as he walked to school, only to get splashed when Chie ran up to him, the shorter girl bursting with energy.

"Morning!" The Chariot greeted, a grin plastered onto her face. "Wanna hear some good news?"

"Morning to you, too. And yes, good news is always appreciated."

"Good, because Yukiko told me she'll be able to come to school again in two days! Oh man, I'm so happy right now!"

"She's recovered?"

"Well… I don't know about 'recovered'," She looked around and leaned closer to Yu before lowering her voice. "I've visited her nearly every day after school and spent Sundays with her, too, and she hasn't mentioned a Persona. Tomoe and I haven't seen it either, so we don't know if she's ready yet."

"Hm… well, if she doesn't mention anything or doesn't see anything, then we'll leave her out of it. Is that alright?"

"Yeah, of course! It'll be the three of us. Or, well, the three of us and one bear thing?"

Yu laughed, adjusting his grip on his umbrella. "Yeah, the three of us and one bear thing saving Inaba from a crazy murderer. That sounds about right."

* * *

Since he was able to, and Soccer practice was cancelled due to the rain, Yu went to drama club with Yumi. For most of the beginning, they simply went over a few practice lines and a few tongue twisters (which Yu was horrible at) and he sulkily told Yumi that he hadn't watched the play yet. She understood, but pushed him to do it tonight, if he didn't have plans.

He didn't, but that wasn't an automatic guarantee: anything could come up.

Nagai spoke up after half an hour of practicing. "Just doing fundamentals all the time gets boring, so let's try doing some real performing!" At the positive responses, he continued. "We'll hold an audition. Everyone, remember the line I'm about to say-"

Titan interrupted Nagai, making Yu jump when the deep voice rattled directly behind him. "Why are you wasting your time with this when you could be slaying the Shadows that haunt the humans of this residence?"

Yu sighed and leaned back slightly, not paying full attention to what was happening in front of him. _Oh, God, you can't just do that!_

"Do what?"

_Just start speaking out of nowhere, especially since I don't know you well and we're surrounded by people who don't know anything about Personas? I can't talk to thin air without someone thinking I'm psychotic._

"Still, I feel that you're wasting your time with this 'extracurricular activity'."

_I'm not-_

Nagai voice rose, drawing Yu's attention back to the club. "'...nor the golden sea, but merely the trickle of your tears.' You all got that? Well, I'm not going to repeat it! Alright, we'll start with Yu. Come on up here, in front of everybody. Show some emotion."

_Shit, shit, what did he say at the beginning?_

Titan hummed. "Something about being tempted by a woman's tears." Yu rolled his eyes and swore the Persona's existence. _Oh that's helpful._

Yumi cheered on his right. "Don't worry, believe in yourself!"

Yu sighed and stepped into the center of the room, muttering, "You better have been right Titan... What tempts me is not the—the light of the moon, or the golden sea, but merely the trickle of your tears." _Dammit I know I screwed that up._

"Does it truly matter?"

Yu scowled, not at the Persona, but at his performance and ignored the conversation between the drama club president and the vice president. _Well, to me it does._

"I'll do it." Yumi spoke up. "I'm confident that I can remember. Yu gave her a thumbs up as she moved to the center of the semicircle, a serene expression on her face. "What crazes me is not the light of the moon, nor the golden sea!" She then turned to her right and crossed her hands over her heart, a shimmer of tears pricking the corners of her eyes. "But… merely… the trickle of your tears…"

Yu's eyes widened as Yumi's performance ended, somewhat shell-shocked at the level of effort she put into performing

"That was amazing…"

"She's always so good… It's scary…"

Yumi smirked at the praise from the other members and turned to face Nagai. "If anyone thinks they can do a better job than me, please come on up."

The president glared at her. "Yumi, don't say it like that…"

"If only standing around flirting made you a better actor, huh?"

Titan chuckled. "I could imagine her talking down the most intelligent and spineless of Greece and pointing out all of the puny Gods' flaws! She would be a most intelligent general and coerce all of the armies into giving up."

_Of course that's what you would relate it to. Wouldn't you prefer there to be bloodshed?_

"True, but this is just as entertaining."

The drama club vice president stuttered, trying to patch up the tension between Yumi and her boyfriend. "H-Hey, come on! We all remember the line, so we might as well do it, right? I think watching others act is a good experience, too. Don't you, Yumi?"

Yumi, after pausing, nodded. "You're right. Go ahead"

Slowly but surely all the other students went, but Yumi was clearly the best, no question about it. With a scowl on his face, Nagai faced the rest of the club.

"Okay, we've unanimously decided that Yumi will be the protagonist… And she'll be opposite… Yu!"

Yu ignored Titan's maniacal laughter behind him and turned to face Nagai completely. "Wait, what?"

"I mean, it's either you or me, and what I'd really rather do is direct."

"Okay, so… what character am I playing, _specifically?"_

"The protagonist's husband, of course."

Yu felt a blush cross his cheeks as Titan's laughter increased, the Persona wheezing as Yu's mortification grew. _Shut up!_

Needless to say, he didn't. "Oh Gaia, I do not regret anything."

_I feel like this is mainly coming from the remains of Orobas._

"It's a mix, mortal."

The two practiced for about half an hour while the other students worked on their lines, either as supporting characters or just a character with one line and no name, or even moving around props.

"Do you have your lines memorized? Are you ready to go? Don't be so tense. This is just practice."

Yu ran his fingers through his hair. "I know, but… why is it so much easier for me to remember flash cards, but not lines on a page?"

Yumi giggled. "I know the feeling, it seems daunting the first couple of times, but you realize you remember them easier and easier after each attempt."

"You make it sound so easy."

"I try! I want us to try and take this a bit seriously, so give it a shot, okay?"

"Hey, I'll give it my all."

"Well, I'll lead you through it!" Excitedly, she looked out the window with her script in hand. "Acting is fun, isn't it? When you're acting, it's like you get to take on the life of another person. Not just yourself. Not some Yumi Ozawa, but another life to live. I don't need lights. I don't need costumes. All I need is a role to play."

Yumi looked up at the lights above her with a melancholy expression "All I need… is to not be me…"

Yu reassuringly put his hand on her shoulder. "We all need to be someone else every once in a while, don't we?"

Yumi smiled, although it seemed forced. "Yeah, we all do." The tender moment was broken as the tarot card for the sun appeared, the number 2 appearing as it glowed golden before disappearing. "Oh, sorry! Let's keep practicing, otherwise you'll end up forgetting your lines. How about… we ad-lib a kiss?"

"Oh Gods and Goddesses, young love is a curse among you mortal beings."

_Wow you are just a pessimist aren't you?_ Yumi took a step back "Uh, you okay? You looked really angry for a second, do you not want to do it?"

Yu snapped out of it, smiling sheepishly at Yumi in a hope to not scare her more. "Ah, no, it's fine. Let's just… focus on the lines."

* * *

[22:43] Late night studying, or are you actually getting sleep?

Yu jolted from his seat and gasped. He groaned when he realized that he had lost his place in his textbook and glanced at his phone.

He groaned again.

[22:44] The former, until you interrupted me, Ama.

[22:45] I heard from a little birdy that another murder AND another kidnapping occurred.

[22:45] Are you okay, Yu?

[22:46] Yeah, so far. None of the victims were friends, but I'm helping others out.

[22:46] With school or grieving?

[22:47] Technically both.

[22:48] If Dojima-san asks, then it's school.

[22:48] Ah, Dojima.

[22:49] Is this your wonderful uncle Mister Jin has mentioned?

[22:50] Yes, and don't worry, I haven't mentioned you guys to him yet.

[22:51] I wasn't concerned about that, but in all seriousness, Yu-chan.

[22:52] Please don't call me 'Yu-chan.'

[22:52] Get some rest, and contact us if you need help.

[22:53] Especially if this murderer comes after you, do you understand?

[22:54] I understand, Mom.

[22:55] Be glad that your mother can't contact you, otherwise she would be shitting bricks.

[22:56] True, but I need to study.

[22:57] Fine, but stop soon, it's late and you need to sleep.

[23:02] Thank you, Ama. Love you.

[23:02] Love you too, Yu.

* * *

**Friday, 4-29-11. Weather: Rain throughout the Day.**

Yu patted his stomach. Earlier in the day he had eaten at Aiya, and it had looked like he had barely scratched the surface before he had given in. Now however, he was stuffed, and he let it pass when Nanako and Dojima decided to order take out, and he sipped at his tea.

_"Due to the weekend rainfall, clear skies seem unlikely in the area. A thick fog is expected to set in tonight and remain until tomorrow morning, with heaviest concentration in the Inaba area. Anyone planning to go out tonight should take care. Now for our hourly weather breakdown…"_

Yu sighed. "Man, the rain's been awful these past few days. I kind of expected to see the riverbank flooded."

Dojima looked away from the TV, giving his nephew a concerned glance. "You went to the riverbank?"

"I was trying to figure out my way around town, or find something to do. I just ended up eating at Aiya's."

"Well, get use to the weather around here. Hope the fog isn't a sign of more trouble…"

Yu idly sipped at his tea, watching as the news changed to a story of a raid that had happened earlier that day in Tokyo. _If we hadn't found Yukiko, it may have been, but we should be okay now._

Nanako leaned over and changed the channel, only for Dojima to sit up with a somewhat cross expression on his face. "Ah-ah-ah, what did I say about changing the channel without asking?"

On the different channel a commercial let out a small jingle before starting. _"Have a great day even during Golden Week at your local Junes! Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products! Everyday's great at your Junes!"_

"Every day's great at your Junes!" Nanako sang. "Dad! They're going to be open during Golden Week!"

"Haha, I heard. Do you want to go somewhere during the long holiday?"

Nanako stood up, a surprised expression on her face. "We can go somewhere?"

Dojima turned to Yu. "How about it? Got any plans yet?"

"Nope, no plans. I wouldn't mind leaving for a bit, if it's okay with you, Dojima-san."

"Ha, no need to keep adding the 'san' to the end of my name. Makes me feel older than I am."

"Then let's all go somewhere together! Junes! Junes Junes Junes!"

Dojima sighed. "You're sure you want to go to Junes? We can go there anytime…" The older man stood from the couch and gently took Nanako's hand. "Come on, girl, time for bed. It's late."

"Alright…" The six year old smiled and started to sing as Dojima lead her upstairs. "Every day's great at your Junes!"

Yu breathed out and stood up slowly, rubbing at his eyes as he went upstairs. In the background, he heard Nanako and Dojima talking, the older man trying to calm down his daughter to get her to sleep. Entering his bedroom, he closed his blinds and double-checked that the TV was off, Izanagi floating nearby and providing a small bit of comfort.

_The rain is supposed to stop tonight,_ Yu thought as he changed out of his school uniform and into his pajamas. And that means the fog will roll in. _Have to check, just to make sure that no one shows up like with Saki-senpai._

It was nerve-wracking, waiting for midnight to roll around. Finally the clock ticked over, and the TV buzzed to life. Endless static covered the screen, but no ghostly figures writhing in agony appeared, and a wave of relief washed over Yu. _No one's dead, Yukiko's fine, there won't be another body._ Yu had to remind himself to breathe, and Izanagi moved closer in an attempt to make Yu feel better and calm him down.

"I need to sleep," Yu mumbled, trying to get to his futon only to find his legs were locked. "Breathe, Yu, breathe and move!" Izanagi once again helped by picking up Yu bridal style and carrying the teen over to his bed, carefully putting him down. Making themselves tangible enough, Izanagi grabbed the blanket and pulled it over the teen, who was slowly calming down. "I don't know who's a worse mother, you, Ama, or my actual mother."

The look Izanagi gave him was teasing, but it also conveyed the same stern message that Ama had given him the night before: Go to sleep.

* * *

Hidden in the fog shrouding Inaba, a figure looked up at a telephone poll, a grimace crossing their face. With a grunt, the man turned and left the shopping district, hands in his pockets, leaving the area disgruntled.

* * *

Yukiko woke up slowly. Weeks of practically being pampered by the staff and her mother had brought her out of her routine of waking up early for school. However, her alarm clock was buzzing, and she promised Chie she would get up and go, so she had to go.

Opening her eyes, she thought she was dreaming. A layer of pink feathers covered her, shielding her body and hiding her from sight. Only a few rays of sunlight peaked through, allowing her to see around herself, but she was still in her bed at the Inn, and she could hear—just beyond her alarm clock—the bustling sounds of the workers and the cheerful laughter of the guests.

She must've been awake then, right? Yukiko reached out her hand, pushing at the feathers and sitting up. The feathers shrouding her parted, and she looked around herself, seeing no elaborate piles of feathers or a curtain made of such a material, so where…?

Yukiko turned around and gasped, her voice stuck in her throat. Behind her was… a woman? Attached to their wrists were two large disks covered in the feather-like things that were covering her and they connected like a long cape around their back, a helmet covered their head and hid their face, and their knees were drawn up to their chest.

The two stared at each other, and Yukiko felt like her soul was being stared into, despite being unable to see the being's eyes. With a small tremor in her voice, Yukiko whispered. "Have you come to kill me?"

A silence descended between them, and just when Yukiko was about to scream, a voice rang out in her mind. "...I am Konohana Sakuya; my flames will forever shield you." The being spread their arms and beat them down, jumping up and… moving through the floor, leaving Yukiko alone in her room.

She still didn't know if she was awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another arc is done! I've decided that each 'arc' will end after each kidnapped victim 'wakes up' and comes back to the school, so the next chapter will deal with Yukiko waking up with her Persona and getting shit explained to her, finally going back to the TV World, and more P3 storyline stuff! Just for clarity, this fic ignores the continuity of Persona Q (because I haven't finished it), P4 Arena, and P4 Arena Ultimax because I haven't played either version and I don't want to change the plotline I have planned out due. As such, as far as anyone is concerned, Labrys and Sho do not exist in this story.
> 
> The reason why S.E.E.S. left so quickly, for me, is that 1) I'm awful at writing them and 2) I'm setting this up for a later plot point. I needed them in, and out, but they are coming back!
> 
> I'm not going to be able to update next week, as I will be in Disney for a school trip and away from my laptop. I have been working on chapter 14, but writing battles is difficult, especially because I'm playing this file on super-easy mode simply to blow through the story and not have seven different retries of a boss-fight. In other news: I have finally, finally completed Persona 4: Golden on my personal file! It was a great way to end it, but since I was awful at maxing social links, I never got to fight Margaret, nor did I max Rise or Naoto. I've decided that, at the very least, I'm maxing out all the social links for the members of the IT team, Margaret, and Marie for the story. Other social links are kind of in the gray-zone. I may just establish them, but not max them.


End file.
